To Mend this Dream
by paddy's-tsunami
Summary: “I’m going to be a ninja in my own way and run straight down a path of no regrets!” Years later, events would force Sakura to reconsider the implications of Naruto's words, and challenge the values of her and everyone she knew. Eventually KakaSaku.
1. By Herself

Author's Notes: Well, here's my first shot at a Naruto fic. And yes, it may appear Sakura-centric at first, considering that I actually like her character. I hope I share similar reasons with other authors who have chosen to place more focus on her in their writings. We see the potential, and really want to see her develop substantially more in both the manga and anime. Spoilers up until chap. 210 of the manga, where I taper off and go my own merry way. 

As for pairings, this fic will e_ventually_ be a Sakura x Kakashi, unless something… catastrophic happens. But there will be other secondary pairings showing up as well. The rating is for language, violence, and sexuality in future chapters. 

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Italics represent character thoughts and flashbacks. 

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto and all characters. The plot's about the only thing that's mine, and any original characters that pop up. 

Enjoy! 

***

The minute I heard my first love story,

I started looking for you,

Not knowing how blind that was.

Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.

They're in each other all along.

- Maulana Jalalu'ddin Rumi

***

"I used to be the most untalented kid in my class,"

Kick. 

"I couldn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, only below average taijutsu techniques."

Punch.

"Everyone laughed…I was called a 'dropout'." 

Kick. Punch. Block.

"However, I persevered with hard work, and look where I'm at today. But you shouldn't have to worry, Sakura-san! You're much smarter than I was. If you train as hard as you can, you'll be incredible."

Rock Lee's encouraging words kept repeating themselves in her mind, accompanying her as would a soothing mantra while she dutifully went through her training exercises.

It had been almost two years now that she'd trained religiously every day, relying on random words of encouragement to serve as guidance. Whether she had wanted to or not, Haruno Sakura had emerged from that one Chuunin Exam irrevocably changed. From the defining moment when she had lopped off prized coral strands of her hair, to her battle in the preliminaries with Ino, the roseate-haired Genin saw instances of where her weaknesses had cost her. But the ultimate catalyst came that night, when Uchiha Sasuke had chosen to forcibly diverge his path from hers, opting instead to pursue his destiny where she could not follow. 

A team had been sent to retrieve him, consisting of Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Chouji. Sakura, along with Tsunade, had been given no other choice than to place their trust in the ragtag group. They were all children really, fresh-faced and only at the beginning of their shinobi careers. She could still remember Naruto's voice.

__

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan. We will bring back Sasuke, that's a life- promise."

She shouldn't have been so surprised when they failed; it was perfectly logical when one considered everything in context. They were all formidable shinobis in their own right, abilities mayhap on par with the enemy, but they were vastly lacking in one crucial area: experience. But nothing could have prepared her for the sight of their return, each one carried or assisted back by medical shinobi and all bound for the intensive care unit of the medical facility.

As she watched their bodies being carried past her one by one, on glaringly white stretchers that had quickly become discolored with their lifeblood, Sakura felt the faintest of doubts beckon at the back of her mind.

__

Was it worth it? So much life at stake for someone who abandoned us all?

She had quickly waved that thought away, she _couldn't_ think down that path. Instead, she chose to marvel at how these people, each of whom was not overly fond of Sasuke, were willing to lay their lives on the line for him. 

***

Naruto had refused to be wheeled away, protesting loudly that he needed to see Sakura or else he would refuse Tsunade's treatment. Upon her arrival, he had grasped the hands of his pink-haired teammate, looking up searchingly into her questioning jade eyes while his unyielding grip trembled.

"Sakura-chan," he choked, then dropping his head in evident shame.

She understood what he wanted to say, and she couldn't blame him. Not Naruto, who she knew would've attempted to move the sun and moon for her if she had asked him. But it wasn't enough to stop her tears. At a loss for words, she could only shake her head in denial, clutching the younger boy like a life preserver, willing the pain to lessen, if only a little. 

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan, but…we failed. We couldn't bring him back."

***

Sakura had claimed that she loved him. Even at a young age when concepts such as love had been beyond comprehension, little Sakura had said that she cared for the Uchiha boy. The fleeting period spent as teammates had only intensified those feelings she harbored. In that case, wasn't she obligated to lay down her life for him as well? She had pretty much accepted the fact that someday, she may very well be required to give her life for Sasuke. And that meant that she would need to become stronger, strong enough to make a difference. 

__

To him.

And she would cling to that decision, desperately, because it was all of Sasuke that she had left. 

Team 7 had been irrevocably split with the departure of Sasuke, as well as with Naruto leaving to spend most of his time training with Jiraiya. Kakashi had been sent on an unending stream of high-class missions ever since the Sound/Sand Invasion of Konoha. Team-less and mentor-less, Sakura had been forced to seek guidance from whoever was available. Even when the rest of the village had forgotten about their trio, both Naruto and Sakura forced themselves to move on. 

Sakura had approached Kurenai on occasion, and recently, even Rock Lee was a suitable instructor, especially since he was able to coach her after the successful results of his surgery. Her current training regime mirrored the young taijutsu specialist's, for the purpose of raising her stamina and speed levels. It was effective, but still not the same as having one-on-one training with a qualified instructor. Hence even after two years, Sakura was not reaching her full potential. 

But she figured she'd done something right, for when Sakura had elected to take the Chuunin exam this year, she'd found herself advancing seamlessly to the third exam. The last exam was again set up in tournament style, and scheduled for the following day. Hence the resolute Genin found herself pulling an untimely midnight cram session, where she was hoping to perfect a few new jutsus that might give her an advantage during the matches. 

Her training garb completely soaked through with sweat, the kunoichi was glad that she had donned an extra lightweight set of clothes this evening. Her old red dress of days bygone had not lasted long in the face of intensive training, so she had traded it for more practical garments.

__

Just shows how highly I prioritized training back then, she scoffed to herself mentally.

She was currently wearing a white tank top under a long-sleeved black mesh shirt, along with a pair of loose-fitting black cargo pants, allowing her movements to be as unrestricted as possible. Her coral tresses had grown back to their original length quite a while ago, and she didn't have the heart to cut it for it would remind her of the whole Chuunin exam episode spent with the rest of her team. So instead, she had it tied back with a white ribbon in a long braid that reached halfway down her back. 

Satisfied that her close-range fighting techniques were in top condition, the Genin chose to move on to ninjutsu techniques. Especially the Grand Fireball no Jutsu, a technique she had been attempting to perfect recently. It called for a great deal of chakra, so much that it would be pushing her limits. But the technique was one that she had wanted to learn and master for a while now, for more than the sole reason of accomplishment. It had been one of _his _preferred techniques.

Purposeful, Sakura prepared to settle herself into her ready horse stance, just as a whimsical gust of wind blew a lone leaf that tickled against her face. Raising a hand to bat the annoying object away, the kunoichi wrinkled her nose at the irritating sensation, only to stop short when she noticed something peculiar out of the corner of her eye.

A tall figure had appeared sometime, only a few yards away from her position. The person was swathed in a billowing, ebony cloak with bold crimson patterning that fluttered ever so often with the night breeze. As though the cloak itself did not cover enough, a wide-brimmed straw hat also served to conceal most of the person's face, while casting the rest of their features in mysterious shadows. The figure stood stiffly at the base of an immense, aged tree with dark, barren branches, looking for all the world as unmoving as the specimen of flora itself. 

__

Well, it's not as though he or she's bothering me…and we're far enough apart for my attacks not to affect them.

With a shrug of her shoulders, Sakura decided to ignore the person, and if they just so happened to be a hapless civilian that got scared off once she whipped out her techniques, then all the better. Settling back into position, she began the process of performing her jutsu.

Perhaps she had exhausted a good deal of her chakra supply beforehand while warming up, because a good twenty minutes had passed and Sakura was still only able to emit an embarrassingly petite flare from the jutsu. It would've been sufficient to light a cigarette, and the roseate-haired Genin made herself a mental note to ask her opponent tomorrow if he smoked. Her inner self could somehow see this falling through during the match.

__

Sakura: Grand Fireball no Jutsu!

*sizzle**pfffft*

Sakura: Um, hehe, need a light?

Opponent: …

Examiner: Hey, there's no smoking allowed on these premises! You're both disqualified!

The kunoichi sighed helplessly, before attempting to go over the seals again. 

"I hope you know a few higher level water-type jutsu,"

Stopping her movements abruptly, Sakura whirled around in the direction of the voice. The same sight of the immobile figure greeted her. Were they the one who had spoken? Eying the other critically, the Genin decided that the person certainly gave no indication of having done anything, not even breathe. And furthermore…

Sakura glanced around her vicinity curiously. Well, it sure looked like she was the one being addressed, considering they were the only two people she could detect within a half-mile radius of her location. 

"Why," she asked quizzically, finally deciding that this person was talking to her and no other.

The same voice returned, its deep masculine tones delivered in the same linear flow, as though the speaker himself was effortlessly regulating it to be unemotional.

"It would help…should you manage to start a grassfire sometime this century."

For some odd reason Sakura figured her mental reflexes to be a tad slow at night. Or else she definitely would have come up with a better retort than what immediately escaped her lips.

"Huh?"

But thankfully, Inner Sakura was able to rein in the situation, by giving her currently more slow-witted half a sharp mental whap upside the head.

__

Baka! He just took a shot at you. _And you're going to let him get away with it?_

That apparently triggered something in her psyche, for Sakura immediately turned on the figure, only to discover that he still stood exactly as he had been, not a hair out of place. She scrunched her brows with indecision, wanting to confront the person, but remaining hesitant because it really didn't look like he had spoken to her. It was just, well, not _right_ to go flying off the handle at someone who barely looked like they breathed, let alone talked. 

During her private little bout of wavering indecision, the girl failed to notice that the object of her speculation had left his previous spot in a soundless flash of movement, and taken up residence several inches behind her. 

By the time Sakura did turn back, her emerald eyes glittering with fiery determination, she was met with the shadowed visage of one tall, overbearing being. 

If she had been any less of a shinobi, Sakura would have screamed bloody murder at the intrusion. But in this case, her instincts spoke louder, for she instantly leapt back several paces, putting a safer distance between the two of them. Then she had time to express how surprised and ticked off she was.

"What is your problem," she demanded furiously, directing the full weight of her glare onto the strange man before her, "pretending to be a _lawn ornament_ then going around and scaring people out of their skins?"

The man remained silent, and for all Sakura knew, he could have been completely ignoring her.

"Don't even think about pretending to be mute." She threw the coral length of her braid over her shoulder in disgust. "I know you were the one talking to me."

When the man continued to offer her silence in return, the Genin huffed in annoyance, and turned her attention back to her training. She considered the possibility that there may be lunatics running amok in Konoha during the night. 

"You are impeding on my personal quiet."

There it was again, that same chilling tone of voice that she'd heard before. Sakura could only stare at him incredulously.

"I'm training. This is a training ground. Why don't you go enjoy the quiet atmosphere of your balcony or something?"

She had specifically chosen this particular training ground for its lush green terrain, and substantial distance away from the village center. Interruptions were the last things she needed at this rate. 

The man in front of her shifted ever so slightly, subtly adjusting the angle of his gaze so that he could better examine her. Aside from an outstandingly vocal attitude, the vision he took in didn't impress him all that much…or at all for that matter. 

Sakura had meanwhile returned to the arduous task of accumulating chakra, while muttering under her breath about how she would die of amassed frustration before she even reached the exam stadium. 

"But I have to pass, have to pass" she repeated to herself, "no way am I letting some test faze me, nuh uh,"

"All this effort is for a mere exam?"

The question managed to come out distastefully, even though there had clearly been no modulation of the speaker's tone or pitch. He had almost been certain that the girl was trying to invent some new forbidden jutsu with the way she almost bit his head off for interrupting her. 

"Not just any exam," she shot back at him, "but the Chuunin_ selection _exam. That's a middle-ranking ninja class we're talking about here."

"Indeed."

The bland tone of voice gave Sakura the distinct feeling that had the stranger's face been visible to her; his mouth would've been tilted up in a condescending smirk. Reining in her rapidly mounting annoyance, the pink-haired Genin mentally coached herself to refocus her attention on the training at hand. With the onset of the final exam in less than twenty-four hours, she needed to master this particular jutsu soon. However, it was proving rather difficult to concentrate with the continuous presence of an unknown spectator whose intimidating aura seemed to ebb in volumes from his very person.

__

Whatever, just concentrate on building up your chakra. Almost there…perform hand seals NOW—

"Aren't you a little old to be taking the Chuunin exam?"

Yelping in surprise at the sudden interruption, Sakura immediately lost her focus on the sequence of hand seals as she jumped several inches off the ground. Her concentrated amount of chakra immediately dissipated, and the distraught girl could sense her energy levels slowly tapering off. Needless to say, her internal self was less that appropriately pleased at this point.

That no-good, rude, interfering, ASS!!

She spun furiously on the rubber heel of her custom sandal, intent on giving the man a piece of her mind.

"Listen you jerk," she spat, shaking a clenched fist in suppressed fury, "don't you have something better to do than sticking around like some freaky STALKER?! And to answer your question, I'm only fourteen!"

While it was true that more talented Genin of her class had already been promoted last year, she was still considered perfectly eligible for the exam. She had just been lacking the confidence and sheer determination that others such as Naruto had possessed up until this point. But who was he, some complete outsider who knew nothing, to criticize her?

Totally unconcerned with the female before him whose thoughts were slowly becoming tainted with ideas of unorthodox retribution, the strange man continued to silently appraise her from beneath his concealing straw hat.

"Fourteen and not yet a Chuunin? Tsk, disgraceful."

His dismissive attitude was only further fanning the flames of Sakura's mounting fury, since the girl had just about had it with people disregarding her and her abilities. Fatigue and frustration from failing to benefit from this particular training session were proving to be a deadly combination in wearing away the Genin's usual common sense and good judgment. 

"That's a lot coming from someone who may not even know the meaning of being a shinobi. You don't hold a rank, do you?"

"I have no intention of sharing such information with you," replied the cold voice.

"Probably because you never even succeeded in graduating from your Academy. Is that why you're picking on me? Cause you want to make others feel as inept as you do?"

"Oh, let me assure you that I graduated."

Sakura barely held back her snort at his response. So she was dealing with a ninja of some sort. Though judging from the man's odd clothing and weird attitude, he couldn't have been anyone renowned, she decided.

"How old were you when you graduated then?"

A long pause stretched its way between the two, as the stranger seemed to contemplate whether or not an answer would be suitable.

"I don't think the answer would be beneficial to you," he finally stated once again in that voice shrouded in chilly undertones.

"Try me," 

An equally disconcerting silence took place before the man replied.

"Seven."

This time it was Sakura's turn to pause, her face remaining in a set expression of collected coolness. Internal Sakura though, was currently throwing a fit of epic proportions as the girl felt her self-esteem once again drain away to the negative side of the scale. 

__

It's not fair, not fair, not fair, NOT FAIR! What kind of twisted parody of reality is this that I somehow end up being constantly surrounded by a disgustingly bloated number of PRODIGES?!!!

"That's just…sick," she croaked derisively, once she had found her voice again. 

"Is it? I find your lack of talent as a shinobi much more physically repulsive."

Gritting her teeth so brutally that it hurt, Sakura finally decided that enough was enough. The only way she was going to emerge from this encounter with any last shred of dignity intact was to beat this guy's ass from here to the Hidden Sand Village. Then after that, she'd somehow convince that disturbing Gaara of the Desert persona that this jerk had cracked a joke at his mom's expense, and let him deal with things from there…

Slowly turning away from her intended target, the Genin allowed a borderline evil grin to grace her rose lips, as she prepared to launch her assault. Tucking a wayward strand of flowing hair behind her left ear, Sakura pretended to stretch languorously, clasping and extending her arms skyward while leaning up onto the tips of her toes as she released a noisy yawn. Discreetly, while watching the man from the corner of her eye, Sakura fingered several of the senbon that she kept concealed under the sleeve of her left arm. 

__

Now!

Twirling rapidly around, she let loose a trio of the fragile looking projectiles, each one aimed for a critical point on the victim's body.

__

So finally she strikes.

A miniscule twitch of anticipation passed over the stern lines of his mouth. He had been wondering if the girl housed an infinite supply of patience… 

With an almost careless wave of his hand, the man countered the oncoming senbon, nullifying the attack so that they fell haplessly at his feet. Having dealt with those, he looked up in time to see the girl fly at him with a roundhouse kick aimed at his temple. 

The senbon had merely been a diversion, and as soon as the needles had left her fingers, Sakura had leapt up into the air, channeling chakra and preparing for some heated hand-to-hand combat. 

Just as it looked as though her foot would connect with his head, the man disappeared, leaving her fighting to follow through and manage a semi-graceful landing. Crouched low, with her fingertips pressed testily into the moist earth, Sakura quickly scanned her surroundings, tensing in anticipation of the adversary suddenly appearing. Minutes passed, and she failed to detect any signs of the man.

__

Well if you're not going to come out, I'll make you.

"Mou," she exclaimed suddenly, while rising to dust off the dirt from her palms, "this is boring and I'm getting tired. I have an exam tomorrow so I'll be leaving now,"

The statement was met with two shuuriken thrown at her, that imbedded themselves deeply into her back. Her body crumpled forward, disappearing as a telltale poof of smoke erupted and revealed the log segment that had been used as a sacrifice. The man himself materialized beside the inanimate object in a swirl of rippling, black fabric, just in time to intercept another head on strike by the Gennin who launched herself at him with a flurry of lightening-fast punches. 

However, he ignored the oncoming assault, and without missing a beat, instead relocated instantly beside a cluster of waist-high bushes, only to drag out a familiar hissing, fighting kunoichi by the wrist seconds later. 

"If you think that I would fall for such elementary genjutsu, you are sorely mistaken."

Still clawing at the man's restraining grip on her arm, Sakura was torn between shock

that one her most practiced jutsu had failed, and mortification that this stranger had managed to subdue her so easily. And she had planned everything out so perfectly, all her bases were covered, form immaculate as she lay hidden, waiting patiently for the adversary to show an opening…

All her thoughts came to a swift end, as the grip on her wrist suddenly tightened to vice-like extremes, resulting in the white, searing pain that tore up the span of her arm. Sakura was pretty sure that at any given moment now, the bone would snap under the relentless pressure. Righteous indignation or not, Haruno Sakura was not stupid nor reckless, and chose her battles wisely. It had become obvious that this particular adversary outclassed her impossibly, and sheer determination was doing squat for the situation. Currently, her survival instincts were kicking into emergency-mode, and telling her to abandon "operation salvage dignity", and perform the ultimate practical maneuver: get the hell out of there. 

"H-hey," she gasped in between breaths, trying to get the man's attention as he dragged her ruthlessly into the clearing, "you do realize who you're messing with, right?"

Without relinquishing his hold, the strange shinobi merely scoffed, a sound that proved insultingly dismissive. 

"No, nor do I care."

Desperate to liberate her captive limb that was beginning to lose all sensation, the young kunoichi made one last bid for freedom by planting her feet firmly into the ground, and yanked back for all she was worth to halt their progression. She then made sure to follow up with her most piercing glare that would have stopped Naruto's heart, before hissing at her offender.

"You'd dare manhandle a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village?"

"If memory serves me correctly…you were the one who attacked me."

"Ah, heh, it was a joke, I wouldn't have hurt you," Sakura protested, her tone bordering on petulant whining.

And indeed, an onlooker would most likely have mistaken the pair for an elder sibling disciplining the younger child with the way Sakura, who barely reached the other's shoulder, was being dragged unceremoniously further into the training grounds. Her subjugator scowled inwardly, half surprised that her loud outbursts hadn't drawn the entire village's paramilitary forces to their location. She certainly was a vocal one… 

"I'll warn you right now," the Genin continued, completely unsuspecting of her companion's quickly deteriorating mood, "that my sensei's one of the most feared shinobis this side of the continent, and I'm really good friends with the Hokage,"

__

Urk, so Naruto's really good friends with Tsunade-sama. But since I'm Naruto's friend, then via association I've automatically established special connections with our Hokage.

"—so if you don't beat it right now, well, there'll be consequences."

Sakura wasn't entirely surprised when the man continued to ignore her. It was time to enact Plan B.

Whipping her head aside, Sakura glanced away at some obscure point to her far left, and shouted in her best attempt at mock surprise.

"Hokage-sama!"

The foreign shinobi's split second of hesitation, as he twisted his own neck to check her claim, was all she needed, for the pink-haired kunoichi promptly performed a quick kawarimi jutsu that left her captor clutching onto a perfect replica of herself. The real Sakura had meanwhile taken off in the direction of the village's town center, her legs carrying her with all the swiftness of Lee's training, while her hands locked together in position to perform another jutsu.

"Bushin no jutsu!"

Multiple copies of the young Genin appeared alongside the real version, but quickly fanned out from her position after she sent them each mental commands to disperse and head in different directions. 

__

If anything, that should deter him long enough to give up on me. Score one for Haruno Sakura— 

The feeling of accomplishment may have been greater if she hadn't suddenly found herself lying face-first in the ground.

__

What the hell?!

Forcing her head off the dirt, Sakura found she was completely immobilized, with a vague, disconnected sensation to heavy limbs similar to the effects of a potent anesthetic. Desperate, she attempted to shuffle her legs forward but to no avail, though for her efforts, she was rewarded with an up close and personal view of a certain shinobi's billowing cloak and shins. 

__

Body-bind no jutsu! But how could he possibly tell which one was the real me? It was a one in ten chance!

She decided that the situation definitely wasn't amusing anymore, and judging from the noticeably unhealthy aura of menace radiating off him, her companion didn't think so either. Though she couldn't see his features, Sakura felt an ominous chill run down her spine and guessed that the man was glaring at her. And for the first time since their encounter, she felt the oncoming icy tingles of genuine fear. 

It finally occurred to her that this stranger might not be any ordinary foreign shinobi that would tolerate her brazen little schemes and chalk it up to the unpredictable oddities of youth. Not likely…and this last stunt she pulled may very well cost her dearly. 

Watching the girl sprawled haphazardly in the dirt was entertaining, he mused. Now if only the body-binding jutsu affected her tongue as well…

"So do you normally get kicks out of preying on the weak and helpless? Tch…bully…"

He quirked a dark eyebrow at the girl, who was currently engaged in the impossible task of trying to crane her neck far enough backwards so as to be able to glare into his line of vision: a commendable feat for someone who was flat on the ground, perpendicular to his upright stance. 

"How so," he questioned chillingly. Somehow, the idea that this little pink-haired annoyance would accuse him of bullying her was rather amusing, yet at the same time, irritated him to no end.

"Well, for one," Sakura continued, perfectly happy to delve into another pointless monologue if it meant buying herself more time to come up with an idea out of her predicament, "you're older than me, so you're picking on a decisively weaker minor. Two, you're a guy, I'm a girl, and I know they say that chivalry's dead, but still…beating on the fairer sex is nothing to be proud of. And lastly, do I need to remind you that I'm currently helpless at your feet because of a certain body-bind technique?"

He blinked. Alright, he hadn't been expecting that long of a rant from her. Truly, there was only one way to stop this nonsense before she talked both of them into an early grave.

Sakura abruptly stopped her ranting at the feel of a booted heel pressed warningly into her lower back. 

"I figured I'd have to kill you at some point," came the subtly edged voice from above, "but before that it looks like I'll be cutting out that little tongue of yours. Maybe then I'll finally have my well deserved peace and quiet?"

His foot pressed down sharply against her soft flesh, hard enough to leave her a commemorative bruise in morning.

"…I can be quiet," she responded meekly, "just release your jutsu."

"So you can deliver me a kunai between the eyes? No."

The unsettling silence between the two was not working to Sakura's advantage. Instead of thinking about routes of escape, the Genin's overactive imagination was kicking in, granting her with abnormally sadistic images of a certain shinobi gleefully tearing off her limbs. Was it just her, or did this guy's voice teem with malevolent promise? Not since Orochimaru had she heard a voice that so irked her. 

A sweat droplet painstakingly ran its course down the pale side of her face. 

However, instead of the blade she had been expecting to plunge into her back, Sakura felt icy fingers grip at the scruff of neck, only to haul her awkwardly to her feet as though she were little more than a pliable doll. 

"You will embarrass yourself and your village tomorrow, relying on such inane techniques."

Shaken, the girl looked over towards he who had spoken, only to see that the shinobi had turned his back to her. The night sky caused the faintest sliver of moonlight to reflect onto the rigid lines of his back. Paired with the inky darkness of his hair and dramatic patterning of his cloak, the man resembled an apparition much more than a shinobi of flesh and blood. 

"You know who your first opponent will be?"

It was a simple question, but the roseate-haired kunoichi couldn't help but feel the underlying weight of the words.

__

Are you ready to face one of your toughest adversaries yet?

"His name is Hideki, Takimoto Hideki." She swallowed. "He's from the Hidden Mist, supposedly one of their top Genins. They say he's a talented user of water-elemental jutsus."

Something flickered in his irises; a faint glimmer of what could have been interest. But the moment passed, and his gaze hardened once more as a decision was made.

"You're gifted in the area of chakra manipulation," he intoned, turning to appraise the confused girl, "speed mediocre, but such can be improved upon. Your genjutsu abilities show promise, but as of now, are laughable."

Sakura bristled indignantly at the bluntness of his evaluation, but quickly lapsed into calmness when she recalled the ease with which this strange shinobi had disabled her. 

Lazily, she shot a wry grin in his direction.

"I'm sure this ego-stomping session is doing wonders for my abilities."

She didn't quite catch the disapproving glower the other shot her. 

"Your training methods are abysmal. I will give you some advice that should increase your performance, given that despite the grievous lack of good judgment you display, you aren't entirely stupid."

Sakura tried to uncover the compliment in that statement. 

And failed. 

But her foul mood quickly dissipated when sensation and control once again returned to her body. Stretching her legs out experimentally, she was pleased to note that save for being a bit stiff, she was still limber. 

"So, will you be teaching me some super genjutsu move then," she asked anxiously while scuffing dirt off her sandals. The man had to be a foreign shinobi, and a skilled on at that, though she fully intended to ask him his identity later. Right now she wanted to reap all the benefits that his instruction could provide. Besides, he must have had a legitimate reason for appearing in her village if he was willing to expose himself like this. 

"…Perhaps. Resume a defensive position."

The Genin gladly obliged, and was about to bring her arms up in a front-shielding cross, when she noticed something was definitely amiss.

"Um, are you sure you released the body-bind jutsu?"

"Yes, why?"

Sakura looked down at her left arm that was still dangling lifelessly at her side. It felt like an alien appendage. 

"Then why can't I move this arm?"

Her instructor glanced dispassionately at the limb, then added tonelessly, "A possible side-effect of my jutsu, it should wear off in a day or so."

She was sure she had heard wrong. "B-but," she sputtered incredulously, "how am I supposed to perform any jutsus? I can't possibly take on another shinobi like this!"

"You will either learn to defeat your opponent in your present state…or you won't," the other replied, entirely unsympathetic to her plight.

"NANI?!"

"Silence, you have less than five hours in which to learn how to perform one-handed seals. I suggest you get to work."

Sakura was beginning to find a lifetime of Genin-level missions not all that unappealing of an option. Even alone, and no longer a part of Team 7, the freaks still kept appearing. Only this time…there would be no Naruto or Sasuke around to take the focus off her.

__

Lucky me…

Unexpected though, was that the dread came with a beguiling sense of empowerment and unspeakable freedom that she cherished.

***

Author's Notes: No…I haven't made it _that _obvious who Sakura ran into. All comments and reviews are appreciated. 


	2. The One I Love

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Disclaimer: See Chapter 1. 

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Italics represent character thoughts and flashbacks. 

***

3 years later

The clean, uplifting breeze of another balmy night in Konoha was refreshingly invigorating to someone who had spent the majority of his day crowded indoors in the Hokage's meeting room. Five straight hours of open debate and discussion would tire even the fittest ANBU member, but in this case, today's committee session had completely floored all of the elite Jounin that had been assembled.

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Guess we're not all as young as we think we still are.

Hatake Kakashi lifted up a gloved hand to adjust the fit of his forehead protector, shifting the material so that it fit more snuggly against the contours of his concealed half with the Sharingan. That shower he'd indulged in after he'd gone back to his apartment was just what he'd needed, and now he was looking forward to spending a well-anticipated evening off duty. It had been well over a month since he'd last been in the village, his missions abroad occurring more frequently than ever. But Konoha would forever be home base, this quaint little village where he'd spent most his life and been initiated into his field. 

Whistling a currently popular tune as he casually strolled along the near-empty streets, Kakashi reached into his kunai holder, fingers itching for the familiar weight of "Come Come Paradise" in his hold. Book in one hand and a flashlight in the other, he attempted to focus on the pages of recognizable, but much loved text and images. Only tonight, even his most treasured possession couldn't hold his attention unwaveringly like usual, for the Jounin's mind kept straying back to events that occurred earlier in the day.

This morning had been the scheduled selection of new ANBU members to join the special, elitist squad. As per tradition, Tsunade had gathered all of the elite Jounins present in the village to the exam stadium. Only unlike other selections processes such as the Chuunin exam, this proceeding was not open to the public. It was conducted in the presence of a select group due to the high-level nature of the techniques that would be displayed. 

Seated in the lower stands beside Asuma and Kurenai, Kakashi had watched in his usual nonchalant nature as the candidates filed into the arena. Each individual had already passed a series of written exams and the necessary number of assigned missions. This would be their last assessment, where they would demonstrate their combat abilities to the Hokage herself, by facing off against an elite Jounin. 

Imagine the Copy Ninja's surprise when his one revealed eye had spotted Sakura amongst the group of hopefuls. He blinked several times, clearing his gaze just to make sure that the filtering rays of sunlight wasn't playing tricks with his perception. Sure enough, there was his former roseate-haired student, only now in the guise of a confident young woman, who stood patiently in her Chuunin uniform awaiting instructions. 

Granted, he had just returned the previous night from a mission in the Wind Country, but Kakashi still felt more than a little shocked that he didn't know about this. Especially considering the ANBU candidates required written recommendations from at least two other Jounin in the village. He was able to find out after the selection process that Sakura had gotten Kurenai and Ino's father, Yamanaka-san, to write her recommendations. It pained him a little to realize that she hadn't considered approaching him, her former sensei.

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Heh, well it's not like she could've been able to find you even if she wanted to.

Kakashi had heard that Sakura was developing greatly as a shinobi, but he had never really expected her to choose the way of ANBU. To commit yourself to the selective squad proved you were hardcore, and for the most part, willing to dedicate your life into the service of Konoha. Which invariably meant that concepts such as marriage and family would be put on indefinite hold. 

Kakashi himself had made that decision over a decade ago, choosing to immerse himself entirely into his career as a shinobi. He could vividly remember Kurenai critiquing him once, asking him whether or not he intended to settle down anytime soon. The kunoichi herself had married Asuma last year, finally after much coaxing and pleading from friends and family. According to her, Kakashi would ultimately die an old, wizened bachelor, with only his porn collection to keep him company and pass off as family inheritance.

It may be true, and while Kakashi had enjoyed occasional dalliances with certain women in the village, he had no intention of settling himself into a long-term relationship. That required founded commitment, something he wasn't able to provide as an active Jounin of the Hidden Leaf. His assignments required him to live in the face of uncertainty, never knowing whether his latest assigned mission would be his last or not. He was unprepared to subject another to that type of existence, and he was pretty sure no one wanted such qualities in a potential life partner. 

He watched idly as the matches began, occasionally nodding in approval when a candidate would pull a move to foil their Jounin opponent. Due to his recent return, he hadn't been scheduled to participate, only to observe and make comments. A heartfelt chuckle escaped him when Asuma got caught from behind during his spar with a blonde Chuunin. No one expected the candidates to actually defeat their Jounin opponents, though it did happen rarely on occasion, but they were expected to hold their own and last long enough until the Hokage motioned for the match to end. 

When Sakura had stepped up for her match, Kakashi was unable to prevent the tingling concern that had rippled through him, especially when he saw that her opponent was Shiranui Genma. Genma was generally as laid back as they came, but he was dangerous when it counted, and had a penchant for goading his opponents into callous actions.

Kakashi seriously hoped that Sakura had learned over the years to not let her emotions override her logic during battle. 

He should have placed more faith in her. In short summation, the match had been a far cry from her Genin-level bout with Ino years ago. It had been that long since Kakashi had bore witness to her techniques, and now that he could watch her in action again, he realized that he barely recognized the shinobi fighting down below. The first thing that had caught his attention was her speed. He noted speculatively that it was seriously close to rivaling his own. She had an admirable amount of stamina, vastly different from the girl who used collapse in a boneless heap after several hours of chakra tree climbing. 

For a while nothing noteworthy happened, as Genma gave only half-hearted attempts at offense with an assortment of shuriken and kunai, and the other circled him patiently, in search of an opening. He was speaking to his younger opponent though, the senbon he toyed with twitching occasionally in accordance with the movements of his lips. Whatever he was saying, Sakura responded to, for her own mouth curved occasionally with expression. Eventually, Genma must have said something to upset the kunoichi, for her cheeks immediately colored, and she attacked him with newly found fervor. 

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He always was such a charmer with the ladies. 

Kakashi focused all attention now on the two adversaries, his own heartbeat accelerating unconsciously as the pace of the match picked up considerably. The two figures in the open arena clashed in another frenzy of punches and kicks, complimented with occasional bursts of elemental jutsu. 

They then abruptly separated to opposite sides of the stadium. Facing her opponent, Sakura stood primed on the balls of her feet, as one hand produced a medium-sized spool of thin wire filament. Her other hand reached into the shuriken holder at her leg, and without preamble, she flung two of the objects at Genma, with the attached threadlike wire trailing after. 

The fighting Jounin easily dodged the oncoming objects, meanwhile shooting his female opponent a questioning glance, as though enquiring what she intended to do. He looked up just in time to see another pair of shuriken coming at him, only these changed course to curve back at him after he managed to bypass them initially. On closer examination, Genma noticed that the second pair of shuriken was being manipulated by Sakura using fine strands of chakra that flowed from her fingers. The two pairs of projectiles worked in unison, rapidly crisscrossing over in intricate arcs, with the wires trying to trap him while the chakra-controlled blades lashed out intermittently. 

With the situation becoming a little too risky for Genma's tastes, the Jounin quickly performed the hand seals for an earth-element jutsu, and disappeared altogether. The move proved familiar to Sakura, who immediately responded by leaping off the ground, swinging the wire-attached shuriken to imbed themselves into the stadium walls to create a delicate tightrope two meters off the ground. The Chuunin perched herself on the flimsy surface, and kept an avid eye on the ground in wait of her opponent. 

Seconds later, Genma did emerge, along with five other copies, sending clusters of dirt flying in all directions. They headed for the Chuunin, launching an unending series of kunai, intent on crowding and knocking her off balance from the wire. Even with her heightened close-combat skills, Sakura was hard put to defend against the onslaught of unending strikes. Eventually forced to abandon her previous position, Kakashi watched with more than a tiny twinge of worry as Sakura dove back towards the ground, landing with her feet firmly implanted. At this point the ground beneath the Chuunin rumbled, crackling as the kunoichi struggled to stay upright. 

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Too late…

Kakashi along with the rest of the audience watched in captivated horror, as the ground appeared to open and swallow Sakura whole, leaving nothing in its wake. The Genma copies above ground all disappeared on cue as well. The silver-haired Jounin felt his heart racing, as he mentally compiled a list of attacks his former student could encounter in this situation. Genma would no doubt want to leave the young woman with some sort of vivid reminder of this encounter…

"Kakashi-senpai, you're about half an inch away from toppling into the row in front of us."

Kurenai's familiar voice brought Kakashi back into immediate focus, and he looked down into wide, fearful eyes belonging to the poor Chuunin examinee he had been unconsciously leaning over. He was indeed a hairbreadth away from falling into the young man's lap. Mumbling a quick apology, Kakashi looked back at Kurenai's blank face, but noticed that her mouth twitched suspiciously with suppressed mirth. 

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I'll deal with her later for the belated warning, he promised silently, then returned his focus below just in time to see Genma burst from the ground, with Sakura imprisoned securely in his hold. Light danced off the reflective surface of the kunai he held to her neck, as the Jounin stood victoriously with his restrained opponent, an accomplished smirk displayed prominently on his face. 

A wave of murmurs passed over the audience though, when Genma's features abruptly changed, his confident expression turning to one of startled fury. The murmurs gave way to shocked gasps, as Sakura twisted one of her hands out of Genma's hold, and reached over to wrench the kunai from his grasp. It appeared as though she held him in a binding jutsu, but it was improbable since her hands had not been free to perform the necessary seals. 

Kakashi chose to analyze the positions of the two shinobi, and noticed that Sakura's other hand was firmly attached to Genma's side, in what seemed to be the pose of a seal with her fingers moving rapidly. Taking in the Chuunin's look of fierce concentration, it appeared as though Sakura hadn't used the body-bind jutsu, and instead had channeled her chakra into near-invisible threads that enwrapped her opponent, holding him in place with the sheer force of her will. She wouldn't be able to maintain the technique for long due to the sheer amount of chakra it cost her. 

As soon as she released her hold, Genma brought his hands together in a tiger seal pinpointing her forehead, indicating that he knew she was near spent for chakra and he would blow her away before she could ready her next attack. However, he unexpectedly looked down, and noticed that she now had him at knifepoint, with the sharp tip of her borrowed kunai poised readily above his chest. 

Thankfully Tsunade signaled for the match to end there. 

Almost everyone observing let loose long sighs of relief, though in Kakashi's case, he merely exhaled once, and then lowered his head thoughtfully. None of the moves she'd employed earlier had been from his teachings, and it intrigued him to know where she had gone for her training. But in hindsight, he was rather pleased to see that she was capable of such growth when left to her own devices. 

Not bad at all. 

After several more matches, the exam had ended with Tsunade dismissing the examinees, and calling a meeting session for all Jounin present. They had returned to the Hokage's meeting room, where names of the successful candidates were announced.

Sakura's name was the fouth one mentioned, and a total of eight had made the cut. Tsunade's personal assistants were sent to inform the successful candidates, who would then be led to the initiation ceremony, and formally inducted into ANBU. The meeting had then lapsed into a lengthy discussion forum of the current situation with regards to inter-village and country relations. 

As he continued to amble along at his characteristic unhurried pace, Kakashi reflected that indeed, it'd very long since he last spoke personally with Sakura. He was away when she completed the Chuunin exam, and he only found out two days after his return a week after the selection. Predictably, he was more than a little confused with Anko had come up and clapped him heartily on the back, congratulating him for the advancement of another one of his students. 

The special Jounin had to relay him the details, and she spent quite some time complimenting Sakura's technique, especially since the girl had made it to semi-finals with what looked like an ineffectual left arm. Kakashi had been shocked then, though he hid it well, and planned to meet with and congratulate his former student. But before he could make good on those plans, Tsunade had sent him away on another urgent mission. 

Yes, he and Sakura were overdue for a long chat, but that could be accomplished tomorrow. Right now, Kakashi was determined to relax and chill for one evening, as he found himself outside the wooden doors of his favorite pub and one of the most popular shinobi hangouts in the village. 

Upon entering the darkened environment, Kakashi noted how crowded the joint was, the intermingling smells of tobacco and alcohol instantly assaulting his person. Out of habit, he headed for the lounge couches in the corner that the Jounin usually staked, and was met by a number of familiar faces.

"Hey, it's our very own Copy Ninja!"

"Kakashi, haven't seen you in months!"

"Tsunade's got you whipped, hasn't she?"

Offering the group a little wave in response, the Sharingan user seated himself comfortably onto a leather maroon couch beside Asuma, while a server came over to ask him his order.

"Just a beer," he replied, more in the mood to sit and vegetate than anything else. Asuma peered at him over the end of his cigarette. 

"Thought you'd be too tired to show,"

"Yeah well, consider this my sleeping aid."

Chuckling over his friend's habitual dislike of lengthy explanations, Asuma nudged the silver-haired Jounin in the ribs, and jerked his thumb over towards the other side of the pub where a miniature stage had been set up.

"Check it out…karaoke night. Dare you to go up there."

Kakashi snorted, and gave a little tug on his facemask. 

"Don't think sound travels through this too well,"

While the conversations carried on around him, Kakashi settled back with his beer, and gave the area a quick scan over. As his gaze traveled, a familiar shock of pink hair caught his attention. She was seated at the bar, seemingly alone, and in the process of downing a sizeable mug of what he genuinely hoped was water. 

"Looks like our little chat is being bumped up several hours," the Jounin remarked, as he subsequently rose and headed towards her, preferably before she become too inebriated to talk. 

***

"Wow, we should totally come here more often!"

Ino's squeal of excitement carried well across the vicinity of the pub, causing several customers to glance in their general direction. Hinata blushed at the unwanted attention, and attempted her best to conceal herself behind Sakura, who was busy looking around and appreciating the rustic, come-all ambiance. 

"Let's just find a table," suggested the Hyuga heir quietly, who found it vastly uncomfortable being in such a place to begin with. But Ino had insisted that they come and celebrate Sakura's successful 'indoctrination into ANBU', as she had called. 

"No, no, we need to sit at the bar," the blonde Chuunin argued, and began to drag her two companions over towards the counter. The three of them made quite the unusual trio, with Ino being the type-A personality of the group, Hinata the shy, reclusive opposite, and Sakura vaguely somewhere in between the two, unless provoked. Not even Ino's occasional tantrums could match the firepower of Sakura's apocalyptic full-blown anger. 

Once seated, they proceeded to place their orders, well aware of the numerous sets of male eyes observing them with obvious interest. Ino, who was used to and reveled in such attention, made sure that the indigo version of her usual ensemble was immaculate. She had dated an impressive number of men over the last year or so, and was enjoying the experience immensely as she managed to balance her Chuunin responsibilities with her social life. Currently unattached, she was looking forward to meeting an interesting guy or two to tuck away for future consideration. 

Hinata, who wore the standard Chuunin uniform, looked as though she wanted to bolt any second now. She currently taught at the Academy and enjoyed her job immensely, for it placed her away from the pressures of her confining family and demanding missions. Sipping her non-alcoholic beverage tentatively, she turned to Sakura who appeared to be eying her drink contemplatively. The other girl had changed into in a black tank top along with a matching black skirt that showed off her long, slender legs after the initiation ceremony.

"What are you thinking about?"

The roseate-haired kunoichi blinked, then frowned slightly as though just realizing that she had been daydreaming. She smiled while shaking her head, causing her long braid to sway back and forth. 

"Not much, I just feel as though my life's about to change in some way."

"Well obviously it's going to change," Ino asserted with a roll of her eyes, "you're an ANBU member now, no more simple missions for you. I don't think you'll ever have to weed another garden again."

Sakura nodded in agreement, though the influx of pointless missions had stopped the day she became a Chuunin. 

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But who would have thought that completing those ridiculous errands was when I was happiest. 

"So Sakura," Ino prompted, interrupting the other girl's thoughts, "tell us about your match and what exactly Genma did to rile you up so much."

Mention of her Jounin opponent's name caused Sakura's lips to instantly turn down in a scowl. 

"I can't believe what he said to me…the nerve of that jerk."

"Tell us then!"

"Well, shortly into our match," Sakura explained, "he began attacking by throwing kunai and shuriken at me. I barely managed to dodge one of the attacks by bending over backwards. It was a close one."

"Then…?" urged Ino, who could imagine the situation her friend had been in.

"Then the arrogant bastard grins and tells me that I'm lucky I don't have perfect measurements, or else it would've been more than just a close call!"

Ino and Hinata exchanged nervous looks, while Sakura seethed privately, her face reddening with color and it was not from embarrassment.

"What an asshole," she bit out, "I only wish he was here now. I'd snatch that senbon from his mouth and stab him in the jugular or something. And repeatedly too, until—"

"Gee…that's sounds kinda painful. Maybe I should leave?"

Said person was now standing beside her, and smirking with his trademark senbon tilted upwards in what could be perceived as a mocking gesture. Sakura's look of surprise quickly transformed into one of accusation, as she glared for all she was worth.

"You've got guts talking to me after what you said today,"

The Jounin only raised his hands in self-defense.

"I was supposed to test your overall condition. Doesn't emotional stability count?"

Sakura politely asked Ino and Hinata to release their restraining holds on her arms. 

"Look, you made the cut, so I don't see what you're so upset about."

"That's not the point," the roseate-haired kunoichi sniffed, turning away from the group to sulk more effectively. 

Having observed the highly entertaining banter, Ino could no longer contain her giggle of amusement.

"Genma-senpai," she drawled knowingly, "this is why you're going to remain single till the end of your days." 

"I won't be the only one," the Jounin muttered in reply.

Ino took it that he was referring to Sakura. It was true, that while the majority of them were making the most of their young lives, Sakura had opted to completely forego the realm of dating. For a time, Ino had hoped that her coral-haired friend had forgotten about Sasuke, like she had herself, simultaneously dissolving their heated rivalry. Sakura was her usual sharp-tongued, feisty self who excelled at her missions and enjoyed time with her friends. But whenever anything remotely associated with the Uchiha name was mentioned, Sakura would lapse into an expression of deep-rooted yearning, proving that she hadn't come close to forgetting him.

It was a painful thing to watch.

The blonde spied with interest as Genma slid a full mug of premium ale in front of Sakura, who was making it a point to ignore the other's antics. 

"My apologies," the normally detached Jounin conceded sincerely, "I'd say something to make up for my comment earlier, but I'll probably only get a fist in return, right? And frankly, you hit pretty hard."

With a final smirk in their direction, the older shinobi took off, disappearing into the throng of people who crowded around the bar. Sakura waited until she was sure he had left, then reached for the mug as a slow smile spread across her features. 

"You're forgiving him just like that," asked Ino, who was puzzled because Sakura had seemed on the verge losing it before.

"May as well," mumbled the kunoichi in question, but then added with a grin, "not like he's going to change. Though I was holding out until he bought me a drink. It's only fair."

Both Ino and Hinata laughed at this, as the three of them brought their glasses together in a shared toast.

"Sakura-san!"

Sakura instantly recognized the voice, and swiveled in her stool to face the flushing visage of Rock Lee who came tearing towards her.

"Sakura," he exclaimed excitedly, resembling an excited schoolboy although he stood a full head taller than the young woman before him, "Ino said that I would find you here tonight. I wanted to congratulate you for your incredible achievement. Now we might have the chance to work together!"

"Thank you, Lee-kun, it's not really that big a deal," Sakura replied, then shot a quizzical look towards Ino who had suddenly found the floor remarkably engaging. 

Hinata meanwhile was staring at Sakura's newly branded arm, and prodded curiously at the freshly tattooed emblem on her bicep.

"Ow," the other yelped in response, retracting her appendage protectively, "careful, it's still tender!"

"Ah, I'm so sorry!"

"Yes, it takes a few days for the pain to fully disappear," added Lee helpfully. He rolled up the sleeve of his forest green pantsuit to display his own identical motif. "Just try to leave it alone." 

"Will do,"

"I saw Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, and Chouji at a table when I came in." He pointed at a table closer to the doors. "Why don't you go and join them?"

"That's a great idea," Hinata smiled, sliding off her stool, "are you joining us, Lee-san?"

Sakura and Ino echoed the invitation, though both secretly began plotting how they were going to keep the alcohol out of his reach. Thinking about Lee's ambiguously tempestuous relationship with liquor invited shivers down everyone's backs. 

"No, I'm afraid I must leave now. I'm meeting Gai-sensei early tomorrow morning for a sparring session." He turned back to address Sakura. "You should head home soon as well, Sakura. You must be exhausted after the examination today."

"Thanks for your concern, Lee-kun. I hope your sparring session goes well tomorrow."

Sakura followed Lee's back with her gaze until he too disappeared into the crowd. Grabbing her drink, she took a hefty swig of the rich brew, then glanced at Ino only to see that the blonde was looking at her strangely.

"He still hasn't given up, has he?"

Miserably, Sakura shook her head. 

"It's so unfair to him, Ino. And I can't just treat him coldly in hopes that he'll change his mind, because he's helped me so much over the years. It'd be cruel, and I know I wouldn't be able to do that."

Ino patted her friend sympathetically on the back. How could she possibly tell Sakura that maybe she was the one who needed to open her eyes and give others a chance? They'd been through the argument countless times before, always reaching the same verdict: Sakura was too stubborn to look beyond her attachment to Sasuke. It made little sense to bystanders, who deemed that only misery could result from her actions. 

"Should we head over to the boys' table?"

Sakura glanced up at her two friends who were waiting for her.

"You guys go on ahead. I want to order another drink."

After they had left, Sakura signaled to the bartender that she was ready for another glass. Pushing her empty mug away, the kunoichi shook her head experimentally, beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. She was about to sample her next drink when someone settled into the stool beside hers. Not in the mood for a conversation, she hoped that this newcomer would keep to himself, but that little hope was dashed when she felt him turn towards her.

"Sakura,"

That voice gave pause to all her actions. It was certainly familiar, yet for the life of her she couldn't identify the speaker. Masculine and deep, but the way he said her name easily with underlying warmth indicated that they should have been on closer terms than mere acquaintances. 

Setting her drink down with a soft 'clink', Sakura turned slowly in her seat, almost reluctant to meet the eyes of someone who she obviously should have recognized. Of all things, she wasn't expecting to see the very person who'd look on her with only one eye. Said eye crinkled at the sight of her obviously stunned expression, indicating that the man was smiling at her beneath his facemask.

"It's been awhile," Kakashi commented, hoping that five years wouldn't create any unnecessary awkwardness between them. Though with Sakura's current wide-eyed, open-mouthed expression, he could more readily believe that this accomplished young woman beside him really was the lovesick, spirited girl he had been responsible for. 

Getting a hold of her bearings, Sakura was sorely tempted to poke the figure watching her, just to assure herself that it really was Kakashi sitting there, someone who had disappeared from her life almost overnight. Much like someone else she knew.

"Kakashi-sensei…"she began, the words sounding almost strange on her tongue since they had been unused for so long. Or maybe it was just the alcohol…

Kakashi gave a little laugh.

"Really Sakura, at this point I think the title is a little unwarranted, don't you think?"

"Nonsense, Sensei," his former student countered, "haven't you heard the saying, 'Sensei for a day, mentor for life'? It's the least you deserve."

Something about the way she said it made Kakashi unsure whether to take her comment in a sarcastic context or not. But he appeared completely unaffected as he lifted his own beer bottle in salute.

"Congratulations for being accepted into ANBU. That's quite an achievement."

Sakura met his toast and drank, but couldn't help peering with slight bewilderment at the man who had just complimented her. He looked exactly as he had the last time she'd seen him, albeit a little tired, but her rational side concluded that it was perfectly normal for them to be drinking as colleagues now. 

Her inner self however, had yet to get over the "Iie, I can't believe I'm drinking with Kakashi-sensei!" phase. She looked over at him just as he addressed her again.

"Your skills as a shinobi have certainly grown. Those were quite the impressive techniques I saw you use today. On a whole other level than the abilities you had under my command, correct?"

Twirling a forelock of her hair idly between two fingers, Sakura responded indifferently.

"I wouldn't know, Sensei. You never really taught me any specific techniques back when Team 7 was still active."

Kakashi could have cringed from the implications of her statement. 

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Talk about chalking up the guilt factor…

But he merely brushed it aside in actuality, scratching his head as he chuckled lightly. 

"Yeah, I really wish that I had spent more time with you guys. But things happened—"

"I'm sure," Sakura cut in, then smiled somewhat apologetically, "you're an important Jounin to Konoha, Sensei. You don't have control over many things."

Her gaze relayed her sincerity, for she could comprehend that what had happened was never his intention. 

Relieved that she seemed to understand him, Kakashi nodded approvingly.

"That is correct, Sakura. I think you'll see it more for yourself now with the start of your ANBU career."

Now that they had leveled with each other, he was hoping to ask her some more personal questions in hopes of understanding what her life had been like these past years. But fate apparently wasn't with him, for Ino returned at this time, intent on getting Sakura up on stage and singing. 

"Sakura, it's your turn to go up there! I already put your name on the list."

Only then did she notice Kakashi sitting next to her roseate-haired friend.

"Why, it's Kakashi-sensei! I haven't seen you in the village forever."

The Jounin nodded in acknowledgement, "How are you doing, Ino?"

"Great, though I really miss the days when Asuma-sensei would treat us to lunch! Hm, it's too bad that you came back now, when Naruto's out of the village."

"That's true," Kakashi agreed, "it's been awhile since I've talked to our favorite loudmouth shinobi."

"Yes well, I hope you don't mind if I borrow Sakura for a bit. I have a bet going on with Kiba that says Sakura could bring this house down."

Kakashi said it was no problem, and allowed Ino to drag away the slightly reluctant ANBU member who complained that she was too sober to sing. He decided to linger for a bit at the bar, but adjusted his position so that he had a clear view of the stage. 

Thankfully, Sakura could still walk without stumbling, and she looked almost confident as she told her selection to the operator, and stood self-assuredly in front of the mike. Sporadic starbursts of spotlight illuminated her pale skin tone against the dim surroundings, showcasing the girl like a priceless ivory figurine. 

He remarked how expressive her eyes could be, while the rest of her face had filled out into mature lines, Sakura's jade eyes still remained naïve in their ability to convey her every emotion, whether she intended to or not. 

The morose melody of a previously popular hit drifted across the room, as the young woman onstage took a deep, relaxing breath in preparation. 

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"Can't forget he who I love,

I know I'll wait till I feel his touch.

Can't forget he who loves me,

Cause I know he'd die of misery.

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I'm not as cold as I seem,

Yet I have hurt you so deep.

Don't mean to,

No…not you.

Don't be a fool,

Who told you love has rules?"

Her pitch was true, but what really struck Kakashi were the almost tangible waves of raw emotion that Sakura emitted. Her eyes were closed in concentration, as she melded herself completely with the rich notes she sang. 

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"Haven't touched he who I love,

I fear that fate is involved too much.

Can't ignore he who loves me,

Cause I've heard his sad and desperate plea.

Why can't the one that I love,

Be the one whose feelings I touch,

I find this pain too much.

This must be hell,

Forget me…save yourself.

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He who loves me waits for me through night and day,

Yet for the man that I love…I would throw my life away.

Can't choose the one to love me and stay,

Stay with me…don't leave me this way.

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He who loves me says he just wants me to smile,

Yet for the one that I love…I would keep my heart in exile.

Can you tell me who's the one at fault here,

Why aren't we free to let go…of all this sorrow?"

By the time she was done, the entire pub erupted with the deafening sounds of applause, whistles, and the random catcall. Yet Kakashi participated in none of that, having caught a glimpse of what was really going on inside Sakura's mind as she sang. He had been planning to find out where Sasuke now stood with her, but it was no longer necessary. Maybe she really hadn't changed all that much, and deep inside…was still that infatuated little girl he remembered. 

***

Someone was trying to shift her. Sakura could feel the purposeful hands tugging none to gently on her arms and pushing at her ribcage. Really, if they wanted her to move that badly, then couldn't they at least have the courtesy of asking her? If they didn't stop touching her soon there'd be hell to pay when she got up…even though she was having trouble registering the sounds culminating about her, and her limbs felt about as animated as soggy ramen. She must have made some noise of protest, for someone actually began patting her lightly on the cheek. Maybe she shouldn't have indulged in that last drink, or two, or five. 

"Sakura, come on…"

"It's no use, Kakashi-sensei. She's been like this for over half an hour."

__

Ino…

Sakura tried to lift her head off the table to let them know she could hear them, ignoring the fact that she felt as though some had emptied her skull and plugged it with fluff. Groaning in discomfort, she vowed to get Ino and the guys back for pounding that last round of drinks into her. They should have know better, even if she had barely objected…

Without any warning, Kakashi reached down and pulled Sakura's wilted form to his side with as much gentleness as he could muster. The Copy Ninja was a little dismayed that she had been able to intoxicate herself to such a degree in the space of an hour after leaving his presence. It seemed out of character for her to be this careless. 

"Ino," he spoke to the Chuunin, who was busy keeping her friend's lolling head in place, "I'd better take Sakura home now. She'll get sick if she stays any longer."

The blonde agreed wholeheartedly, and added, "I should come with you Kakashi-sensei, Sakura moved into her own apartment several weeks ago."

"What's the address?"

She told him, while keeping a careful eye on how her smashed companion was holding up. Kakashi nodded, then flung one of Sakura's arms over his own neck in an effort to better counterbalance her. 

"I know where that is. Though if you could stop by and check on her tomorrow morning…"

"I will," Ino promised, noticing how easily Kakashi seemed to adjust his stance and movements to accommodate Sakura's additional weight. His actions appeared unhindered as he moved towards the exit, leading Ino to wonder if Kakashi was in the habit of escorting drunks home. She shrugged, bringing her attention back to rescuing Hinata before the guys succeeded in drinking another kunoichi under the table. 

Halfway to the pub doors, Kakashi felt a slight moan coming from his human cargo, and shifted her slightly to obtain a better view of her face. Sakura's free hand was rubbing at her throat, unconsciously displaying her discomfort. The young woman focused bright, vulnerable eyes towards the Jounin in a silent plea for assistance.

"I feel sick,"

Her escort nodded, and after finding an unclaimed chair by the wall, eased his soft burden onto the seat.

"Stay, I'll get you some water," he told her, and rushed off to grab a glass of the desired fluid. 

While waiting at the counter, the Sharingan user wondered how even on his night off, he still found himself landing escort missions. He realized belatedly that he didn't feel relaxed at all, and being intercepted by one Shiranui Genma wasn't helping matters. 

"Kakashi," the other Jounin sidled up and grinned at him, "thought I saw you trying to make off with the goods. Cough it up, who is she?"

Kakashi shot him an exasperated look, and subsequently turned to leave after seizing the water that was brought. 

"You're hallucinating," he said over his shoulder to Genma, who followed at his heels.

"I know what I saw," the other persisted, "and where are you going?"

The Copy Ninja weaved his way through the crowd back to Sakura, surprisingly with Genma still able to follow. 

"Take a good look at her…"

Genma did, taking in the slouched figure and recognizable pink head. He whistled lowly, fixing Kakashi with a knowing gaze. 

"Should have guessed it. I mean, getting the lady smashed and then making off with her…you don't usually play that dirty…nor are you that desperate."

Kakashi chose to ignore that, and instead crouched down in front of the slumped female to offer her the water, persuading her to accept it and drink. 

"Just making sure she gets home safely,"

"Sure." Genma gave the senbon between his teeth a playful flick. "Eh, I probably contributed to your problem, since I did buy her a drink. Didn't think she'd be such a lightweight though…"

"You'd be gone after half a dozen assorted drinks. And that's only the low end estimate."

"Seriously?" The other asked incredulously, choosing to bend down and examine the kunoichi himself, "You couldn't tell by just looking at her."

"Don't tell me you never did anything stupid when you were younger," Kakashi scoffed.

"Yeah," Genma agreed, rising, "but I wasn't one to give under peer pressure."

"I think she just has a lot on her mind,"

"That's every alcoholic's excuse."

"Genma, she's not at that stage…"

"Let me counsel her,"

"I don't think so."

"Being just a bit protective, are we?"

"Well, she was one of _my _charges,"

"Speaking of charges…"

Kakashi instantly glanced back to Sakura…

…who had wandered off sometime during their brief exchange.

"_Shit_," he cursed, eying the empty chair disbelievingly, "why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are. I thought she was too trashed to walk by hers—"

Kakashi was gone before Genma could finish, having taken off in frantic search of the peripatetic ANBU member. While intently scrutinizing his surroundings, the Jounin mentally berated himself. He had been careless, if even for only a few seconds, but it was obviously enough. Briefly, Kakashi was reminded of how his former team had the disconcerting habit of attracting trouble. He had thought it was a trait shared only by Naruto and Sasuke. Evidently he was wrong. 

He finally spotted Sakura, who was with a couple of Tsunade's Chuunin assistants who, if possible, appeared more spatially challenged than she was. Despite that they were seconds from falling over one another, the trio looked like they were trying to carry on a seemingly normal conversation. 

The Jounin shook his head at the absurd scene, though the sight of Sakura swaying unsteadily in the presence other males while under influence, cheeks rose-tinged from intoxication, caused something fierce to swell within his chest. With two brisk strides he was at her side, blatantly ignoring the puzzled glances spectators were giving him as picked up the kunoichi bridal-style.

Kotetsu was trying to focus around the hazy distortion that his eyes kept presenting him with. He did, however, notice the encroaching figure that suddenly loomed before him and Izumo, snatching away the nice girl that they had been talking to.

"Hey," he tried to protest, "w-where you taking…"

A warning look from the Copy Ninja stopped him shortly.

"Y-you, hey, y-you're—"

"Yeah, I'm him."

Kakashi tossed off the reply and then hastily left with Sakura, leaving two gaping Chuunins in their wake. 

He didn't stop his progression this time around, not until he was outside the joint and looking directly up at the open night with its scattered clusters of stars that winked at him teasingly, as though finding great humor in his predicament. Sparing a glance down at his roseate-haired passenger, Kakashi couldn't really decide whether to be amused or put out by the fact that she had reverted back to some near-unconscious state. Really, was a multi-personality complex possible for someone under influence? He shrugged to himself, and then took off at his usual stealth-like pace reserved for missions. 

Traveling noiselessly along the varying rooftops and intersecting beams provided for him, Kakashi felt Sakura shift in his hold, the slight weight of her head leaving the comfortable juncture between his chin and chest, only to peer up at her current mode of transport. 

"Who are you," she asked inquiringly, large jade eyes fixated on him with childlike fascination.

Giving her a quick glance, Kakashi felt caught in the entrancing innocence of her stare, and unconsciously offered her a smile that went unseen. 

"I'm Hatake Kakashi," he replied, more out of the desire to appease her endearing curiosity than anything. 

"Ooooh," she nodded in perfect understanding, but then added, "you look a lot like Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi sighed, and figured he was better off treating her as some obtuse child for the time being, instead of a grown individual capable of higher-level mental processes. At least she was cooperative now, he mused, actually attempting to be helpful by not fidgeting in his hold and making his task any harder.

That is, until she started pulling at the taut fabric of his facemask, her face practically beaming with malicious glee. 

__

Scratch that…I take it all back. She's about as helpful as Tsunade is with compulsive gamblers. 

After several failed attempts to dislodge his face covering, due to the Jounin's naturally quick reflexes, Sakura sank back into the cradle of Kakashi's arms and pouted prettily, until by chance a perplexing thought occurred to her. A faraway cast fell over her feature, as she quieted, then suddenly remarked in hushed tones:

"You know, there's only been two guys that have ever held me like this…one would be Sasuke-kun, and the other is Kakashi-sensei," 

Kakashi listened intently as Sakura went on, her eyes lighting with what he identified as memorable fondness. 

"They both protected me…and for a time," here her voice caught, "…I thought they were both lost to me." 

Her confession startled Kakashi, who felt himself tense up in response. It had never occurred to him that his abrupt removal from her daily existence had affected her on some deeper level. Sasuke's departure devastating her was to be expected, but his role…he wouldn't have guessed that she'd begun to regard him as a steadfast constant in her life. Team 7's unexpected disbanding must have been harder for her to accept than she let on. 

"But," Sakura cut in, disrupting his train of thoughts, "I have to add you to that special list now." And with that, she offered a conspiring wink that made Kakashi feel like she'd just imparted some huge secret to him, and cuddled back against the rough nylon of his flak vest. 

Thankfully by the time Kakashi brought her outside the building complex, she was dozing off peacefully in the secure refuge of the Jounin's hold. Locating her key in the accessory pouch strapped to her belt, Kakashi unlocked her door and maneuvered them both into her small but organized penthouse apartment. It was relatively the same size as his, only noticeably better taken care of, and complete with a decorative touch that his bachelor pad lacked. Potted plants and framed photos adorned the rooms, he noticed as he eventually found her bedroom that featured a prominent twin-sized bed with temptingly fluffy comforters in deep lavender. 

He set her down on the bed carefully, though refrained from tucking her in. Making sure that she was turned on her side, Kakashi stepped back and took in the serene picture she presented. 

__

Are you really just like any other young woman facing the typical trials of life?

Lying there completely unawares, with coral strands delicately framing her heart-shaped visage, Sakura really did resemble the average young woman. But then he saw it, the ANBU tattoo that was cast in a silver wash by the moonlight cascading through her window. The emblem that was emblazoned onto the pale expanse of her skin seemed blatantly unnatural, almost marring the natural beauty the rest of her exuded. 

For a second, Kakashi felt tempted to walk over and wake her: he wanted to coax her away from the direction that would vanquish any innocence and purity she still possibly retained. But the more rational side of him argued that if she were indeed a true shinobi, then those concepts would have been stripped from her long ago. 

His night over, Kakashi prepared to head home, secretly mourning the loss of his relaxing evening. Yet as he looked back upon Sakura's slumbering form, he felt the accumulated tensions in his person gradually begin to dispel. The occasional wheeze from her still person brought another smile to his lips. 

__

Gods…I am such a pitiable sucker for a sweet face.

***

Author's Notes: And there we go, two chapters for a first post! All reviews and comments are appreciated folks. 


	3. A New Role

****

Author's Notes: 

I have been utterly floored by the number of incredibly thoughtful and inspiring reviews I've received. Naruto fans rock! I'm able to do review responses, so they will be at the end of this chapter. Thanks everyone!

****

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

__

Italics represent personal thoughts and flashbacks.

***

Someone was pounding on her door.

Letting a low groan escape her lips, Sakura rolled gracelessly onto her other side to check the clock on her nightstand. 

11:00 am

The angry red digits glared back at her sleep-filled eyes, combining with the morning hangover effects to create the mother of all headaches for a certain kunoichi. She had trouble deciding what was more irritating: the pounding from outside, or the internal one going on inside her skull. 

Or maybe I'm just so out of it that the noise from outside just feels like it's being amplified a million times in my head.

Burrowing under the protective shelter of her fluffy white pillow, Sakura wondered if she could just wait for the annoyance to disappear. The banging ensued, proving that there definitely was someone outside her door, someone who was going to get a shuriken in the neck if they didn't go away. Said person was obviously more persistent than Sakura hoped they would be, since the agony continued for another five minutes. 

With murder on her mind, Sakura heaved her groggy self off the comfy haven of her bed, and attempted a full body stretch to awaken her muscles. Only then did she notice that instead of her usual satin pajamas, she was clothed in the same outfit she had worn last night. And on top of that, she had spent the entire night lying on her bed instead of snuggled under warm blankets. Her shoes had been taken off and were placed neatly at the foot of the bed. 

Eying her wrinkled clothes in dismay, the coral-haired ANBU member tried to recollect how she had gotten home. Her last lucid memories were of playing rock—paper—scissors with shots involving Kiba and Chouji. She had also sung on stage, and before that there was the talk with Kakashi-sensei…

I spoke with Kakashi-sensei!

His name triggered the distinct replay of their conversation, and well as several disconnected images of her stumbling around the pub area until a silver-haired figure had collected her into his arms. Sakura groaned in humiliation when she realized that Kakashi may have been the one responsible for lugging her inebriated body home. 

God, what did I do…what if I said something?

She really didn't know if she could ever bring herself to look him in the eye again. 

With any luck, I won't have to. 

Her ANBU duties would keep her busy and all over the place, and with any luck by the next time they met, he would have forgotten all about the little episode. That would be very likely, considering their latest separation had lasted five years. 

It truly was a shock to see him again though, and Sakura didn't know if she had fully accepted his reemergence into her life. After the absence of his steadfast presence for so long, the independent part of her wondered what role her former-sensei would play in her life now. 

Nothing will change, you're still you and he's still an active Jounin on duty. So he shows up for one night…you're not thinking it'll last, are you?

The voice of reason told her to remember the encounter, but move on. The days when she could have derived a measure of comfort from Kakashi's company had long since ended, and now she had her own path to walk as a newly commissioned ANBU member. Not to mention that she had to keep her own personal goals in sight. 

Grabbing a bottle of painkillers to pop on her way, Sakura marched rather unsteadily towards the front door. The persistent knocking had stopped and instead a note had been slipped under the door, now lying on white ceramic floor tiles. 

The kunoichi picked up the folded yellow piece of paper, and debated whether to crumple and toss it out her window just to spite its author. Deciding that such action would just sink her to their level, she opened the note and read its contents.

Sakura,

It is now 11:08 am. Given the fact that I've been pounding on your door for TWENTY straight minutes without you answering, I'm going to assume one of the following:

A)You never made it home last night.

B)You have one abnormally gorgeous guy locked up in there, in that case I DEMAND TO KNOW WHO IT IS.

C)You are ignoring me. If this is the case, I'll make sure our next trip to the pub is a repeat of last night so you can suffer the painful aftereffects again. You deserve it.

I know you're probably all right, but it was Kakashi-sensei who asked me to check on you, and I don't feel like explaining your questionable whereabouts should I run into him. So do me a favor and drop by my place later today, just to confirm you're alive.

Ino

Snorting at her friend's apparent confidence in her survival skills, Sakura dropped the note onto a nearby table, and headed back to her room to change. She had promised to meet her mother back home for lunch today and share the good news of her advancement. Afterwards, she needed to meet with Tsunade to change her ninja registration. With her day mapped out in its entirety, the ANBU member hastily made her way to the bathroom and began washing away all telltale signs of the previous night's liquor fest. 

***

"That Lee boy came looking for you this morning," 

Sakura stared across the polished wooden surface of the kitchen table and met with the older, but still beautiful face of her mother. Swallowing a mouthful of rice, she attempted to remain aloof about the discovery by asking casually, "What did you tell him?"

Able to read her daughter like a book, Mrs. Haruno gazed fondly at the figure of her only child and smiled cheerfully.

"Well, it was nine in the morning so naturally I told him you were at your apartment. But he said he'd already been there to check and you weren't in. I suppose he went back to your place after I told him you weren't here either. The poor boy…he was sweating buckets like he had just run a marathon after fighting for his life!"

In hindsight, Sakura was lucky she had gotten rid of the food in her mouth. Or her mother would most likely have had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on her at this point. 

The sad part of it was though…she could picture a red-faced Lee giving timid little feather-light raps on her door, and then hanging his head in dejection when no one answered. Someone needed to tell the guy that most people lived in an alternate universe before 9 am. 

"He was so polite too," her mother continued, only vaguely aware that Sakura was no longer listening, "and that cute little bowl-cut head of his! Hm, if only his fashion sense were a little better—his mother really should be told that bright green does nothing for his eyes…"

Digging into her food with relish, the roseate-haired kunoichi tried unsuccessfully to drown out the other's musings. Unlike most of her peers, Sakura was one of the few ranking shinobi in the village whose family had no traceable shinobi lineage. Neither of her parents were ninjas by profession; her father had graduated from the Academy, but failed to move on to become a Genin. Deciding that he had no talent as shinobi, the man had schooled himself in finances, and currently helped the village council in managing the village's economy. Her mother was not even originally from Konoha, but the daughter of a merchant who settled here after marrying her father. 

Hence it wasn't surprising that Mrs. Haruno would rather talk about her daughter's love prospects instead of her upcoming ANBU career. And Sakura doubted that telling the doting woman her darling child was likely to be assigned an assassination mission next week would impress her. 

"Really, Sakura dear, I don't see why you aren't interested in these wonderful young men that come flocking to you. Youth is short-lived you know, and before you realize it, everyone around you has settled down and built their nests of—"

"Mother," Sakura interrupted, silently clamping down on her urge to upchuck, "I'm only turning eighteen in a month. And don't go on about how you were married at my age, because things are different now. As a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, I have high-priority duties and responsibilities."

"Yes, yes." Mrs. Haruno waved her daughter's points away. "But that doesn't mean you can't open yourself and give those who pursue you a little hope for their efforts." 

Hope…

How could she afford to give hope to others, when she herself was clinging to hers by barely an inch? 

There were others who had risked their lives to protect her, vowing to place her welfare above their own. But why then, why could her heart only respond to thoughts of a certain boy with sleek ebony hair and frigidly determined eyes? 

Sasuke…is it because you were the first?

The memory of his unhesitating charge, placing himself protectively in front of her before the gleaming blades of the Demon Brothers, resurfaced in her mind. That was her first experience of someone defending her with his life. 

It may have only been a sense of duty on Sasuke's behalf, but she loved him for it all the same. 

Staring at the back of her mother, who had risen to collect the used dishes, Sakura realized that she had never told anyone in her family about her emotional ties to the Uchiha. They had their suspicions, but for the most part, merely assumed that their daughter was at a confused stage in her life that would soon pass. 

"What if I'm saving my love for someone," she suddenly blurted out, "someone that I'm sure is out there only the time maybe isn't right yet?"

Mrs. Haruno paused in her actions, and stared into a bright set of jade eyes so very much like her own. All traces of laughter and nagging disappeared from her face, only genuine motherly compassion remaining as she fixed her gaze on Sakura and spoke. 

"Then Sakura dear, I'll only tell you this. Honest, unselfish love and those tender affections that you are capable of sharing …save them for someone who really loves you. Because at least you'll know then, that no matter what trials the future may bring, you won't have to face them alone." 

Sakura sat still, gawking at her parent figure as the minutes ticked away. Since when had her mother become so, so philosophical?

But Mrs. Haruno broke the moment, by abruptly exclaiming, "Now dear, don't you think this will impress your father when he gets home? I've color coordinated the placemats with our chopstick holders!"

***

Moving swiftly under the cover of nightfall, Sakura made her way unseen to the barbed wire fences surrounding her usual choice of training grounds. With the occasional updraft tousling flyaway coral strands, the young woman pulled up the collar of her navy blue shirt. She was still wearing her Chuunin uniform, since it was prohibited for ANBU members to wear their standard uniforms unless on active duty. 

The hoary glow of moonlight was sufficient lighting on a clear night, and Sakura breathed in the cool, untainted air while delighting in the feel of carpeting grass beneath her sandaled feet. Her attitude was lighthearted as she fairly skipped her way across the open field. As she looked up to admire the beauty of the heavens, Sakura felt a jolt when she remembered that somewhere, sharing the same night sky with her, was Sasuke. 

Becoming part of ANBU sounded like something that he would have approved of, for Sakura recalled that Sasuke showed a healthy disdain for all things weak. She felt certain that their destinies would cross again, because fate couldn't be so cruel as to separate them forever, right? 

For years, she had played out in her mind the imaginary scenario of Sasuke returning to Konoha, fulfilled and content to remain in the village for good. She kept some constant inkling of hope that Tsunade would call her any day now to her office, and declare that they had information on Sasuke's whereabouts. But until that happened, she could only continue along her own life's path, serving the village that she owed her allegiance to. 

On her nightly returns to this particular training area, Sakura also couldn't help but hope that she'd run into _him_ again, the strange shinobi who had appeared and disappeared with all the swiftness of a wayward breeze. After all, the advice and tips he gave did guide her through her training these past few years. 

Hence she returned faithfully, only to be disappointed time and again. Eventually, she began to doubt that she'd ever see the man again. Only tonight, as she emerged from the ring of trees surrounding her favored clearing, Sakura noticed that someone had beaten her to the punch. 

A solitary figure stood in the open field, with their head raised in silent contemplation.

Sakura recognized the figure instantly and felt her excitement surge. Oddly, the man was wearing the exact same outfit as he had upon their last chance encounter. Looking at him now, Sakura felt as though she'd returned to that night when he had with a few choice words, opened up a realm of possibilities for her own techniques that she never knew existed. Grinning to herself, the kunoichi considered sneaking up on the man to prove that she had improved substantially since their last encounter. 

When she looked up once more to pinpoint his last location, Sakura noticed belatedly that her target had disappeared. Her high-strung nerves were the only indication that she had not been hallucinating. 

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

She felt more than heard the indicative sound of an object cutting through the surrounding air, and reacted. With cat-like agility, the kunoichi twisted to her left and barrel-rolled twice before hitting the hard ground, but not before feeling the featherlike kiss of steel against the side of her neck. 

Getting up on her knees, Sakura knew at once that he was behind her. 

"Any slower, and you would be dead."

She rubbed her fingers along the place on her neck where the kunai had grazed her, and felt the tiniest of cuts, shallow enough to have not broken through the second layer of skin. Secretly relieved that the cut may not scar, she then rounded on the culprit.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?! What if I hadn't been a shinobi, huh? Then you'd be talking to a corpse, mister!"

The man glanced over at her, and then tucked the kunai back within the dark folds of his cloak. 

"I see…you are the brat from a few years back."

Still scowling at her recent attacker, Sakura resisted the urge to scream at him. "And I see three years hasn't dislodged that stick from your ass," she muttered instead. 

The other paid her no heed, and instead questioned emotionlessly, "Why are you here?"

The ANBU member deflated, feeling all traces of anger leaving her, and looked almost sheepish as she lowered her head. She then began shuffling her feet like an uncertain preadolescent. 

"I-I was hoping to run into you again. You never gave me a chance to thank you last time for your help…and I've been following your advice ever since,"

She glanced up to see that the man had turned away and taken a seat on the lush field of grass, appearing perfectly at ease with one leg folded up casually. It vaguely upset her that he seemed to have disregarded her presence, and was giving her the persona non grata treatment.

"Well, why are you here then," she demanded rather sullenly, "this area is restricted to Leaf shinobi." 

"It holds a certain charm," he responded tonelessly, as though that statement alone should be enough explanation. 

During the ensuing silence, Sakura found herself staring intently at the man's shadowed profile while gently tilting her own head to one side in thoughtful contemplation. 

"Really, who are you," she questioned softly, all her attention focused on the other's reaction.

The strange shinobi inclined his head her way to pause ever so briefly, and looked away once again. 

"Did no one ever tell you that questions are dangerous…because they have answers?"

His voice was as cold as ever, but Sakura could detect an almost teasing trace of admonishment within the deceptively strung words. Unperturbed, she strolled forward boldly, and sat herself beside the other shinobi with less than a meter between them.

"Looks like you still don't want to tell me," she began conversationally, "but that's okay. I think I already have a good idea."

She deliberately gauged her neighbor's reaction from a peripheral perspective before continuing.

"You conceal your face at all times, obviously not wanting to be identified or recognized. What's more, unlike regular shinobi who are only too eager to show off their origins, you bear no indication of your native village. These two points alone are enough to label you as some type of exile."

The ANBU member watched with haughty satisfaction as the figure beside her visibly stiffened. Apparently her suspicions were right on the mark, and as expected, the man did not take well to her insight. 

"Don't worry though," she reassured with a hurried wave of her hand, "I won't be telling anyone about this and I'll continue to abide by your wishes. I do my research, and from the patterning of your cloak, I don't care to know your affiliation with Akatsuki either, nor will I be turning you in."

With an almost careless shrug, the kunoichi hugged her knees tightly in towards her torso. 

"I don't think I have any right meddling in your business, especially since all you've done really is help me. But—"

She jumped to her feet and waggled her eyebrows in what she hoped was a credible attempt at menace.

"—if I so much as hear about a cloaked, straw hat-wearing figure wreaking havoc in Konoha, I'll make you regret having ever met me."

Her threat was greeted with chilly silence from the other. In all honesty, the last thing Sakura wanted was to make an enemy out of this particular person, and she was about to tell him that when he spoke.

"You are rather clever," the shinobi noted plainly, "but what if I told you that I don't particularly like people who think themselves clever?"

Sakura watched in wide-eyed panic as the man lunged at her, his body moving as a swirling mass of darkness. His arm reached for her throat, thumb and middle finger shaped into a hard grip that would crush her windpipe. 

That he would suddenly attack her with such murderous intent was not something Sakura had been expecting. 

Damn his speed!

Acting quickly, the kunoichi raised her right arm to shield her upper body while she began performing the seal sequence for a temporary chakra shield. The sizzling energy would gather about her arm, and provide her with a momentary block against the oncoming strike. 

Unbeknownst to her, the other shinobi had prepared for the defensive maneuver, and using his unoccupied hand, readied a ninjutsu attack targeting Sakura's lower body. 

"Katon Karyuu Endan!"

The burning trail of fire flew at her with merciless intensity, giving the ANBU member no time to expand her shield. Besides, it was doubtful that the minimal amount of chakra would hold under the blazing inferno. 

Her mind numb from fear, Sakura felt her mind begin to shut down, while her body continued to move instinctually, gathering chakra for her shield. She felt a sudden surge of chakra ebb at the fingertips of her left hand, and without thinking, she responded. 

"Water Cannon no Jutsu!"

A massive jet of indigo burst from her hand to counter the fiery onslaught; fire met water in an explosive eruption that canceled out both attacks, leaving only a smoldering path of vegetation and wispy trails of smoke as evidence of combat. 

The cloaked shinobi stood paces from his opponent, looking entirely unsurprised by the results of their little clash. He regarded the young woman before him, who was staring down dumbly at her hands, transfixed by what had occurred. 

"It appears that my assumption was correct," he noted, more to himself than her. 

Startled out of her daze, Sakura raised her head, a clear question mark reflected in her eyes. 

"You knew I could do that?"

The man moved further away from the ANBU member, walking at a relaxed pace though his voice still carried back to her. 

"A rare ability, but those with near perfect chakra control can be capable of manipulating their chakra output so as to perform two jutsus simultaneously."

Sakura looked down again at her hands with disbelief. The maneuver had just saved her life, but she had no idea what she was doing. She had merely followed the instinctual pull of her body and reacted accordingly. It would be something else to repeat that with conscious awareness. But still…he had known that she could divide her chakra like that…

"Hey you, stop right there!"

The shinobi stopped his progression long enough to glance back at the roseate-haired shinobi. She was grinning at him so brilliantly that it was a wonder her face didn't crack. Before he knew it, the girl was jogging up to him, her face flushed more from excitement than physical exertion. 

"Looks like I'm stronger than I was last time we met, right?"

The brightness of her face dimmed somewhat when he offered no comment. Too elated to let his indifference affect her, Sakura twirled in a little circle, appearing ridiculous considering she wore a uniform that should have relayed maturity and responsibility to others.

"I'll have you know that I just made one of the most elite divisions in our village,"

"ANBU," the other shinobi commented quietly.

Sakura whirled around to gape at him in shock.

"Wha…how did you know that?"

"The assassination squad of this village is known as ANBU, is it not?" 

He responded almost uninterestedly. 

"And they tattoo an insignia onto the left arms of all members. With the way you are moving your arm in obvious discomfort, one would assume that you have either recently sustained injury to that limb, or some other purposely inflicted cause. Since the fit of your clothes reveals no bandaging, I'll assume that it is not injury, but rather a tattoo."

He almost reacted to the way the roseate-haired kunoichi was gawking at him. Surprising how she could be intelligent one moment, and so incredibly dense another. But it was past time for him to be leaving, this little encounter though interesting, had taken too long. 

"I wouldn't call you strong yet," he finally commented, before disappearing into the concealing shadows of the surrounding trees. It would not do to keep his partner waiting in light of recent events. They had a schedule to adhere to, after all. 

Sakura stood rooted to the same place, looking on as the strange shinobi left her once more, blending in seamlessly with their dark surroundings. The open field seemed so much emptier now that she was alone. A last thought occurred to her before she decided to begin her training. 

__

I never did find out his name. 

***

Tap. Tap. Tappity. Tap. 

The steady sound of Lee drumming his bandaged fingers against the wall outside Tsunade's office was beginning to grate on her nerves. Sakura was ready to tell him to stop, but suddenly remembered that this was a vast improvement from the dizzying pacing he'd been doing earlier. 

Glancing listlessly over at her other companion, Sakura wondered how Neji could remain so cool and collected even after forty long minutes of just waiting. But then again, this was Mr. Emotionally Repressed they were talking about. Whereas she had never been partnered with Lee, Sakura had actually been assigned to work on missions with Neji during her Chuunin days. The two were able to understand each other and collaborate decently. Mainly because over the years, they had come to an unspoken agreement: I'll stay out of your hair if you stay the hell out of mine. 

But it was still fun for Sakura to bait the Hyuga and try to get a rise out of him. 

From his side of the spacious hallway, Lee stifled a tired yawn and sighed instead. "I wish Hokage-sama would keep true to her word. I've wasted so much valuable training time already."

"I'm sure you can make up the five hundred handstand push-ups later," Neji commented acerbically, while leaning nonchalantly against the opposite wall with his arms crossed and head lowered. Though he was loath to admit it, the wait annoyed him as well, but it would be an insult to his person to start whining like a child. 

Sakura looked away from the stoic figure on her left, and resumed her previous task of counting cracks in the ceiling. 

Unaffected, Lee grinned at his former teammate, showing off sparkling white teeth that were the product of years of immaculate dental hygiene. "But this sure does remind you of old times, doesn't it Neji? Only we lack Gai-sensei's inspiring guidance, and Sakura-san joins us instead of Tenten." 

At Neji's lack of response, Sakura couldn't help but join in on the fun.

"Oh, I'm sure that Neji's only a little upset that Tenten is away on another assignment, so he has to put up with me instead. B-but…I thought you liked working with me, Neji-kun…"

Neji only raised his eyebrows at Sakura's attempt to look teary-eyed and hurt. Really, and these two made it into ANBU _how_? Abilities aside, he concluded, one was abnormally excitable and the other tended to be rather dementedly aggravating at times. But then again, he grudgingly admitted that he too was prone to occasional bouts of irrationality. 

Only because of prolonged exposure to weirdoes like them. 

"I find most company to be lacking," he finally retorted, "though some markedly more than others."

Both Sakura and Lee feigned hurt expressions now, as the kunoichi walked up to the Hyuga and gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. The other glared at her with piercing eyes, but for the most part tolerated the act. 

"Aw, come on and admit it, Neji. Your life's just been filled with joy and sunshine since I started working with you."

"Oh, it's been full of _something_ alright…" 

While Sakura snickered softly to herself, the door to Tsunade's office swung open, revealing Kotetsu who, decked in his administrative outfit, waved them in. 

Passing by Tsunade's assistant, Sakura felt a weird sense of deja vu come over her. True, Kotetsu had been the one to inform her several days ago of her acceptance into ANBU, but the way he was looking at her suggested that they were almost friends.

Did he just wink at me?

Tossing such inutile thoughts aside, the roseate-haired ANBU operative went to take a seat in between Lee and Neji. Suddenly, she noticed that instead of sitting down, both of them were staring directly ahead to the front of the spacious room, their bodies tense with what could be alarm. 

Following their gaze, Sakura saw that there standing beside Tsunade, his stance rigid with authority, was Morino Ibiki. It was no wonder her companions had suddenly become wary. Tsunade's summons had made no mention of Ibiki, and Sakura could only wonder what reason the Head of Interrogation and Torture had for being present. 

She shuddered involuntarily.

What if there's some twisted initiation rite involved for new ANBU members?

Meanwhile, Tsunade had noticed the rise in tension within the room, along with the suspicious looks her assembled ANBU team kept firing her way. Clearing her throat loudly, the governing Hokage called for their attention.

"Have a seat, I promise that Ibiki won't be laying a finger on you."

Looking visibly more relaxed, the trio sank into their chairs as Tsunade proceeded to explain the forthcoming mission. 

"As you are all aware, Konoha has been recovering by increments since the Sound/Sand Invasion five years ago. However, our position on the political field has yet to stabilize; the majority of missions assigned over this period have been to reassert our presence in the minds of other countries and their hidden villages."

Sakura nodded, recalling how at least half of the village's higher-ranking shinobi's could always be found abroad on assignments. 

"After their attempted incursion," Tsunade continued, "the Village of the Sand was significantly weakened and in turmoil due to the Kazekage not having named a successor. In recent years though, the Sand Village has shown a remarkably fast recovery, so much that it seems to be exerting its influence in the area more aggressively lately."

The room remained silent as Tsunade pulled a letter out from one of her long, draping sleeves.

"This," she explained, "I received from the Tsuchikage of Hidden Stone several weeks ago. It is a request for us to intervene should the Sand Village act unpredictably, since it has been showing 'evident signs of hostile aggression'. The Stone Village evidently feels threatened by the current actions of their neighbor." 

At the skeptical glance Neji shot her, Tsunade paused.

"Do you have a question, Neji?"

"Yes," the other replied in an almost bored tone of voice, "what proof can Stone offer that indicates there are hostile intentions on the part of Sand deserving of our attention?"

It may have been her imagination, but Sakura could have sworn she saw the corner of Tsunade's mouth curve upwards. To the others, their Hokage remained impassive as she answered.

"According to the Tsuchikage and our own sources, Sand's shinobi numbers appear to have grown exponentially over this last year. The rest…I'll let Ibiki take over from here."

The Division Leader stepped forward, his face set in stern lines as he swept over the assembled ANBU with a critical eye. Though he was not particularly well liked by the majority of Leaf shinobis, Ibiki's presence still commanded respect from those who knew of his experiences. Granted, they had also heard rumors about his 'methods' that could make anyone's skin crawl. 

The man also had a voice to match his appearance, one that boomed commandingly across the generous expanse of the room. 

"We unfortunately lost contact with our undercover contact in Sand a week ago. But prior to that, he reported the village being overridden with rumors claiming that Sand has future plans to annex the hidden villages of Rain and Grass. Our current operatives in those two villages have confirmed that there are growing feelings of unease and insecurity amongst the Rain and Grass populace." 

He stopped briefly, letting the implications of the findings set in with his audience. 

"Two days ago, several ANBU units found an injured Sand Jounin on the outskirts of our village. After extensive interrogation, we discovered that Sand is currently amassing forces to execute their plans of invading the Rain and Grass villages in the near future." 

Both Lee and Sakura cringed at the mention of the word "interrogation", understanding that the unfortunate victim must have underwent several phases of proverbial hell before he was willing to release such information. Neji, for the most part, continued to appear unimpressed as Ibiki motioned for Tsunade to finish with the mission briefing. 

"We are sending a delegation to meet with the current Kazekage," Tsunade declared, locking eyes with each of the ANBU, "to first confirm these claims while getting a feel for his intentions. Also, the group will serve as representatives of the Leaf's interests, and see if they can negotiate with Sand for a desired outcome."

With her last statement, it was as though a bomb had been dropped on the assembled trio. The realization that their Hokage had summoned them to play ambassadors had the same effects as a blizzard in the middle of July: it made no fucking sense. 

"You mean," questioned Neji through clenched teeth, "that you're preparing to send members of an _assassination squad_ to engage in diplomacy?" 

"It makes little sense," added Lee, whose eyes were wide with bewilderment, "we don't have the experience. Why not get someone who's specialized in tactics like Shikamaru?" 

Tsunade resisted the urge to roll her eyes, and chose to answer in all seriousness.

"Because…the negotiation is merely an act of goodwill. I've gone over your Academy records and all of you, especially Sakura, show an in-depth understanding of the currently established treaties and regulations between the hidden villages. But should the situation call for it, I want ANBU present to do what they do best." 

Silence settled over the previously volatile group, though from their expressions, the Godaime could tell that her shinobi were still not entirely comfortable with the idea. 

"Your mission—"

"And we have no choice but to accept it," muttered the taijutsu specialist under his breath, until Neji glared at him.

"—is therefore laid out. Meet with the Kazekage, learn of his intentions, and negotiate an agreement that is favorable to the neighboring hidden villages and us. You will return and personally report all your findings to me. Now normally I would be assigning a squad captain to your group, but in this case an exception will be made."

The prospect of not having someone rule over them was pleasant, but Sakura also dreaded the possibility of having to answer to one of the guys beside her. Well, she really didn't mind Lee, but Neji…yeah.

"So which of us gets to go on a power-trip," she asked cautiously. 

"No one."

At their confused expressions, Tsunade really did smile.

"You didn't think that I'd be sending the three of you alone for such a crucial mission, did you? You're lucky, since your leader for this assignment has been in and out of the Wind Country numerous times over the last few years, so is pretty familiar with the situation there. Not to mention he's also a former member of ANBU."

At this point, Tsunade walked over to the door that lead to her attached office. After opening it, she addressed whoever must have been waiting inside.

"I'm done with the mission briefing, you can come in now."

While Neji and Lee exchanged puzzled, but curious glances, Sakura felt a growing anxiety within her that was quickly blossoming into outright disbelief.

No way…

Tsunade stepped away from the door, admitting the entrance of one familiarly masked, silver-haired Jounin. Kakashi waved to the group.

"Hey guys."

***

Author's Notes: 

Ack, as I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of Kakashi in this chapter, all it means is that the next chapter is where the ball really gets rolling. Once again, all reviews from readers will be mucho appreciated. The responses to previous reviews are below.

****

Responses to Reviews

Cookie6: Thanks for the compliment! You can bet there'll be loads more coming…

Lady Light: I'm so glad you liked this so far! Hope that you're laughing with the fic ;)

kel-chan1: *basking in the afterglow of your comment* You really know how to cheer someone on. Hope you enjoy the coming chapters!

Licht Sieger: Um…couldn't it be Kisame? *cough* Not likely *cough* Itachi seems to be everyone's guess ^^

Mikazuki1: Ya, so happy you like empowered Sakura! I'll try to keep the chapters long, and hopefully they'll come out faster too. That should happen once summer break hits!

DancingMonkeyLikeBanana: Thanks for the compliment! I'm continuing this for sure, and I hope you liked this chapter!

panuru4u: I can't tell you enough how moved I am that you've read through this fic so far, even though you may not like the intended pairing. I hope you'll at least enjoy some aspects of the fic, as I'm trying to not let the pairing define the flow or direction of the story. Thanks for the inspirational review!

cuito: Thanks for the yummy review! I'll be going off and doing a happy dance now…but I think writing the next few chapters would make you happier, ne? ;)

random EdwarD: Woohoo, a KakaSaku fan! Your review still has me giggling with glee. It's great to know that people like the direction I'm taking with Sakura so far. You are not snooty by any sense of the word, and dude, I LUV long reviews ^^!

QuasiAngel: That review just made my day, and it's awesome knowing that the KakaSaku pairing is getting some loveable support! I know I'd love to update each day, and I'll be trying my best to get chapters out as fast as possible for ya!

EmptySanity: You've seriously bowled me over by not reviewing once, but twice! Thank you for both flattering reviews. I need to take a cue from you and get to work on finishing this fic then!

bishonen_no_miko: Thank you muchly for the great reviews! Yes, our little Sakura is all grown up *sniffle*. I think all she needed was a nudge in the right direction and the realization that she needed to become stronger. Having Sasuke out of the picture temporarily also helps ^^. "Another Wolf" is one of my favorite KakaSaku fics, now if only Larkspur would update already! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

ph34R tH3 CuT3 0N3s: Okay, now that was one glomp-worthy review! What an incredibly inspiring review. I'm insanely happy knowing I've kept them somewhat in character. It's kind of tricky juggling a more mature Sakura with Kakashi, who will just never grow up…but the interaction between the two promises to be interesting ;) Hopefully you'll enjoy the upcoming chapters as well!

Nocturine: Another KakaSaku supporter! This truly makes my day/year. I'm a minor in music, and I wrote the lyrics to go along with a composition for one of our semester end projects. Hope you liked it, cuz for the weirdest reason Sakura's situation was all I could think about when I wrote the thing. 

Hisaki Shiraha Kei: Thanks for that huggable review! I've got such a soft spot for KakSaku as well, but SasuSaku is enjoyable as well. Wait, you've got one written?! I must check it out as soon as time allows, since finals are just the scariest two weeks of the whole year…hope you liked this chapter, and yes, there will be more coming!

oOoshortayoOo: Awww, thanks for starting another onslaught of gleeful laughter! There will be romance coming, only it's taking a bit because Kakashi and Sakura need to reacquaint themselves with each other. And unfortunately, Sakura is still just a bit too unwilling to forget Sasuke. But give them some time…and we'll see what happens ^^

Jewel Song: Yay, you love it! I hope you liked this chapter, and I can promise that there will be oodles to come, hehehe…

randomness: Glad you liked the ending! Yeah, a drunk Sakura does present a very…interesting picture. I'm sure Kakashi would agree with you once his arms recover ;) Hope you liked this chapter!

Nanie: Thanks for the review! Yes, this story has a mind of its own, but it's pretty much planned out and just waiting to be created. And oh boy, am I writing… Hope you enjoy the coming chapters!

Katsuhito Sage: Okay…if I smile any more from your review, my face is gonna break. It had me bouncing in front of the computer for quite the while! Lol, great to know that the story doesn't seem saturated in angst, although if Sakura had her way, that may be the case o.0 There will be references to the three years in between through future flashbacks or conversations. Genma and Sakura just make for really bizarre, but hilarious encounters. Genma seems like the eternal bachelor, and I mean, there's gotta be _something_ keeping the guy from settling down. There's something fishy between them…or maybe Genma's just like that with most females? Let's ask him ~_^ Thanks a ton for reviewing, and I hope you like the future chapters!


	4. Not Just Sensei

****

Author's Notes: 

Did I say that I love my reviewers? You guys are the best, especially since your words of encouragement reminded me during this last while that there's more to life than my cubicle, caffeine, and notes. As usual, review responses are at the end. Enjoy this chapter you all!

****

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

______________________________________________________________________

With a last sharp tug on the silver buckles, Sakura finished fastening the multiple ties of her metallic arm guards. While the durable plates would prove advantageous during close combat, the sensation of wearing gloves along with the heavy apparel still bothered the kunoichi. She preferred the liberating feel of having nothing covering or restricting the movements of her fingers. But that habit had changed after hearing a particular comment made by Kiba several years back.

__

"You know, you have all these really attractive women working as Chuunins and Jounins around the village, and you keep telling yourself how great it would be to date one of them. But then on your first meeting, I tell ya, nothing is more of a turn off than shaking the gal's hand and finding out that she's got more calluses than you do. A sure sign that the chick has seen some serious action, and wouldn't hesitate to knock ya one." 

Ever since then, Sakura made sure that she always wore gloves during training and on missions. Not to mention that the inflamed blisters hurt like hell when punctured or torn. 

Satisfied that she had properly donned her ANBU uniform, the young woman picked up her assigned mask and slipped it deftly over her face. She figured it to represent an osprey, or some other type of bird due to the prominent beak that was carved in front. She then headed towards the swords rack in the equipment room, secretly reveling in the fact that she had taken her time in preparing for the mission. A glance over at her companions, who had been ready two hours ago, told the kunoichi that taking her time had indeed been the right decision. 

__

Heh, suckers.

Neji scowled at his teammate who was taking her dear sweet time in selecting a primary choice of blade. They were supposed to have been assembled and ready to go by 8 am. He had arrived at the equipment room at 7 am and was finished preparing by 7:30. Both Lee and Sakura had been punctual as well, but the Hyuga had been sorely tempted to throttle his coral-haired teammate when she wasn't even done dressing at ten minutes to the hour. 

However, 'annoyed' didn't even begin to describe Neji's fuming disposition when he saw that it was half past eight and there was no sign of their squad leader. His dark glower was the first thing that greeted Sakura when she emerged from the female change room, dressed save for her arm guards and gloves. 

"I'd sit down if I were you," was all she had said to him before sitting onto one of the benches, and unhurriedly began pulling on her remaining gear. 

Now, hours later, he began to see why she had been so liberal with her time. Casting the kunoichi a somewhat suspicious glare, Neji moved indomitably to stand directly in front of her. 

"You don't seem to be at all surprised by this," he noted acidly, "is there any specific reason why?"

Sakura looked at him briefly, but turned back to her task of testing out various blades. Hefting a medium-length black katana in her hands, she executed a few trial cuts, but decided that she didn't like the feel of it.

"Obviously you weren't listening to my little rant yesterday after Lee asked me what kind of leader Kakashi would be," she responded crisply, then added, "and if you're aiming for intimidation, I'd loose the mask. I'm two seconds away from busting my gut with laughter."

From his spot on the other side of the room, Lee lifted off his tiger mask while grinning broadly at the incensed look Neji's mask must have hid at the moment. The pale-eyed young man tore his own mask away harshly, revealing that he was indeed, less than happy.

"What…did you say?"

Narrowing his eyes into silver slits, Neji looked about two seconds away from killing Sakura if she didn't answer. She would have to take a crack at his facemask, which was already an exceptionally sore point for him. He had been affronted during the initiation ceremony when Tsunade had presented him with his assigned mask. Of all things, the Hokage would have to give him a façade that would prove to be the bane of his existence within the elite corps. In the words of his dearest cousin, it was "too cute for words".

He suddenly suspected the real reason behind Uchiha Itachi's slaughter of his entire clan all those years back. 

Having gone through the room's assortment of blades, Sakura chose a deceptively slender-looking long sword instead of the customary katana, and strapped the weapon securely onto her back. She noticed the murderous expression Neji wore, and perhaps against better judgment, continued on by saying, "Did we ever figure out what your mask represented, Neji-kun? It looks like some sort of rodent to me."

"Chipmunk more like," Lee added helpfully. 

"Squirrel?"

Neji felt a tick develop in the muscle of his left jaw.

"Nah, the nose is kinda pointed, like a ferret,"

"Rat then,"

One could only take so much taunting. With a thoroughly disgusted scowl, Neji pushed himself past Sakura's misleadingly innocent face, and marched tempestuously towards the door. 

"Where are you going?" 

Lee looked somewhat apologetic as he tried to keep the group together despite arising tensions. Neji shot him a corrosive look. 

"Going to check with Tsunade-sama to see if it's too late to withdraw from this mission, and then dragging our _squad_ _leader_ here with my bare hands if I have to." 

With that, he disappeared after slamming the door shut with a deafening *bang* that rattled its aged hinges. The remaining room occupants shared a helpless look, as Lee rose and walked over towards Sakura. 

"I can understand how frustrated Neji feels," he sighed, "in fact, it would be a lie to say I wasn't upset with Kakashi-san myself."

"Make no mistake about it," Sakura told him through clenched teeth, "I'm mad at him too. I didn't expect him to carry that annoying habit of his over to such a crucial mission."

Just then the door opened, cuing the entrance of one sheepish looking, and undeniably tardy Jounin.

"Would have gotten here faster guys, but I pulled a muscle on my way and had to sit down to rest—" 

He stopped abruptly as the shuriken whizzed by at eye-level, and came dangerously close to slicing before nailing itself onto the wall behind him. Kakashi absently brushed the side of his face where the object had been mere millimeters from cutting. 

"Hm, you know," he remarked while rubbing his chin, "I think I preferred the trick with the chalkboard eraser…"

Sakura retrieved her shuriken from the wall, pulling the weapon out with more than a little exaggerated effort, and promptly turned towards the Jounin with a pasted smile.

"But Kakashi-sensei," she chirped with false sweetness, "I thought you _liked_ people who could come at you with killer intent."

"Then he's going to love Neji," mumbled Lee, just in time to see the missing member of their group storm back into the room. 

Silence ensued as the Hyuga focused a piercing glare on Kakashi, his normally pale eyes looking more disconcerting than usual since they fairly bulged from their sockets. Tense seconds ticked by while Sakura secretly wondered how she was going to restrain Neji, who looked a stone's throw away from launching his super tenketsu attack on her former sensei. Finally the young man appeared to rein in his fury, and only managed to ask:

"Watch...you don't have a watch, do you?"

The words sounded painfully strained, and Lee noticed how hard it must have been for Neji to control himself.

"Nope, never have and never will."

Kakashi's offhand reply seemed to set off the ANBU member, who looked on the threshold of lunging for him. Sakura sensibly intervened at this point, stepping boldly in between the two men before Byakugan and Sharingan were forced to clash and result in the first act of violence she witnessed as part of ANBU. 

"We should get going you guys, we were supposed to have left the village two hours ago."

She watched carefully as Neji collected himself, and reluctantly backed off. As much as it would have been gratifying to pound their superior, he had to keep their mission objectives in mind. Showing up at the Sand Village minus one squad leader would not impress Tsunade. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief as she went to collect her backpack. 

"What's in the extra bag?"

Neji pointed at Kakashi, who was shouldering two backpacks instead of the customary one. 

"Important mission documents and equipment," the other replied, as Neji cast him a skeptical glance. 

"I'll carry that,"

Kakashi looked ready to object, but then merely shrugged and passed off one of the packs to Neji, who almost staggered under its heavy weight. The bag had looked misleadingly light when Kakashi held it, but in truth, it must have weighed at least fifteen kilos. It was truly a credit to Neji's hardened instincts that he didn't even flinch when catching the hefty pack tossed at him. 

"Let's go then, team. I need to fill you in on my expectations for you guys on the way."

Thankfully his back was turned to the trio, or else Kakashi might actually have dropped dead on spot under the barrage of skewering glares that were launched at his unsuspecting person. 

***

On the third day of travel, during one of their routine hour-long breaks, Kakashi was leaning lazily against the trunk of a massive, conveniently located tree, and idly wondering if it looked like he was the only one enjoying himself so far. 

Neji had apparently made up his mind to not speak with the Copy Ninja unless given a life/death situation, and Lee pretty much stayed out of his way as well. But his observant eye had quickly picked up on the subtle amount of doting attention the taijutsu specialist placed on Sakura. It vaguely annoyed him, while also serving as a daily reminder of his time with Team 7 when another individual had been less than discreet about her infatuation with a certain someone. 

Ironically, Sakura appeared bent on avoiding him as well, though she often looked expectantly between him and Neji. When he did occasionally catch one of her glimpses, she would quickly redirect her gaze and pretend to be occupied with something else. He of course had no way of knowing that the young woman was vividly reminded of one particularly mortifying incident every time she looked at him. 

The kunoichi was currently reposing under the gratifying shade of another tree, and secretly calculating how many days it would take to reach the Sand Village, where they would ultimately be forced to cooperate whether they liked it or not. She smiled gratefully at Lee, who reached down to hand her a canteen of water he had just filled at a running stream nearby. 

"I think they're warming up to one another," he commented insightfully, after letting his gaze travel from Kakashi to Neji, who was standing stiffly to one side, though he would toss Kakashi a measuring glower every so often. 

"Sure, whatever you want to call it," Sakura muttered with a roll of her eyes, "but I'm willing to settle for zero interaction between them."

Lee nodded his agreement, before laughing softly to himself. 

"Neji needs to calm down and stop letting Kakashi irritate him so much."

"I would be fine if our illustrious leader would stop provoking me."

Said person had walked up to them in the middle of the conversation and was now frowning at Lee's remark

"He's done nothing to specifically provoke you," Sakura argued, "I mean, you were able to handle Gai's quirks! And now you decide that you can't tolerate Kakashi?"

"That was different. As part of ANBU, I expect our leaders to be competent. I refuse to deal with the nonsense that I had to endure as a Genin at this point in my career."

Faster than anyone could blink, Lee had shot up and was now glaring heatedly into the Hyuga's face while invading the other's personal space. 

"Are you insulting Gai-sensei, Neji? After all he did for us, you'd better take that nonsense crap back right now."

Pushing his angry teammate away from him, Neji matched Lee glare for glare before letting out an exasperated curse.

"Grow up Lee, and recognize foolishness when you see it. That's probably why Tsunade insisted on having a Jounin baby-sit this mission in the first place. She doesn't think we're capable of handling it on our own."

"That's not true," Sakura wanted to point out, but before she could further her argument, she picked up on the figure of Kakashi approaching—

—while reading "Come Come Paradise". All commotion stopped instantly, since both Neji and Lee had temporarily abandoned their dispute in favor of staring in wide-eyed disbelief at the Jounin and his reading material.

__

Way to break up a quarrel, Sensei…

"Break's over everyone," Kakashi announced without looking up from his book, "time to head out."

Neji gave his two teammates a long look that clearly said _I rest my case_, and went off to fetch his two packs, all the while shaking his head. Sakura had been fully expecting him to lose it right then, but maybe he had finally realized how pointless it was to get upset by Kakashi's habits. There may be hope for teamwork yet. 

The remainder of the day progressed without incident, and Sakura was honestly beginning to hope that Neji had decided to drop his grudge against Kakashi. That is, until evening rolled by and they prepared to set up camp for the night. 

The squad members were setting up their individual tents, while Neji foraged the surrounding area for kindling to start a fire. There wasn't much to be found, and the task annoyed the young man who mentally protested about how they were given the delegate status with none of the perks. The campground was dark when he returned, and the shinobi realized with dismay that he had used up his supply of matches. Deciding to check and see if the extra pack had a lighter, Neji promptly went over and started to pull on the bag's ties. 

The knots were done up tightly, but one decisive yank caused the pack to fly open, spilling its contents onto the forest floor. Only instead of the mission documents that he had been expecting, Neji found himself staring down at ten years' worth of "Come Come Paradise" volumes. 

An inhuman cry of sheer agony tore through the forest grounds, frightening away a decent portion of the local wildlife. 

The unforeseen outburst caused the rest of the squad to look over, and they were all rewarded with the revolutionary sight of Neji quaking in suppressed rage, while waving around a "Limited Edition: New Year's Special" copy of Come Come Paradise in his left hand. 

"_Important mission documents_, he said!!! What the fuck is THIS?!"

After Kakashi had grasped the situation, his first priority was to get his valuables away from the hands of one dangerously volatile ANBU member. Only as he approached, Neji suddenly backed away a couple of steps, while a malicious sneer that caused Kakashi's hair to stand on end spread across his malevolent features. 

"I suddenly remember that newsprint makes for excellent kindling material…"

The Jounin could only chuckle nervously. 

"Now, now, Neji…you know you don't want waste a perfectly good backpack as timber…put it down..."

Meanwhile, only a few meters away, Lee was panicking and reverting to desperate pleading for an entirely different reason. 

"Please Sakura-chan, you must stop bashing your head against that tree! Your delicate forehead was not made to withstand such abuse!"

***

She had spent the last few nights dozing away in her sleeping bag with one eye open, mostly for fear that Neji would resort to mutiny and try to murder Kakashi in his sleep. Hence every morning, Sakura sported the less than attractive bloodshot eyes and dark circles that conveyed her unrest. It also served to make the young woman abnormally cranky and high-strung. Her nerves were stretched more tautly than the average wind-up toy, making her an explosion note just waiting to be triggered. Wisely, none of her male teammates tried to provoke her, though teamwork was still as awkward and forced as ever.

Which was why the slightly more than fed up kunoichi was currently sitting beside the recently doused campfire, moping instead of making up valuable sleep. She didn't see why Kakashi and Neji were acting as though their sole priority was to piss the other one off. And Lee was not helping much in the way of pacifying feelings either, leaving her to have to play three-way referee more often than was sane. 

Sakura huffed in irritation and glared balefully at the remains of their campfire, as though blaming the black ashes and cinder piles for her problems. Her head snapped up at the sound of an unzipping tent, only to see Neji emerge unexpectedly from his lodging. He approached quietly, and seconds later, had plunked down beside her. His face was unreadable under the starlit sky. 

"I'm not going to kill him, if that's what you've been worried about."

His voice was characteristically impassive, but Sakura almost detected a trace of dry sarcasm that seemed to be Neji's only ever halfhearted attempt at humor. She stared at him long and hard before making some sound halfway between a snort and chortle. 

"Ha, as if you could anyway…"

Her companion blinked, genuine surprise registering on his chiseled features. 

"You don't think so?"

"Just face it Neji. You may be great in our circles, but I really think Kakashi's out of your league."

That may have been untrue, but Sakura couldn't resist the urge to rile up the offended-looking shinobi. And considering how miserable his stubbornness had made her these past few days, Neji deserved a little payback. 

Their conversation however, was not lost on the individual who currently remained hidden amidst the shrouding cover of a neighboring clump of trees. Kakashi had been out on a little reconnaissance trip around the area, and had returned just in time to see Neji seat himself beside Sakura. Of course, seeing as how he couldn't return to his tent without detection, the Jounin had opted to stay where he was and prepared himself for what promised to be an interesting, if not divulging, conversation. 

At Sakura's words, he couldn't help but beam ever so slightly while puffing his chest in evident pride. Truth be told, it wasn't as though he had it out for the young Hyuga. Kakashi only remembered too well what it was like to be young, overly confident, and readily dismissive of others. After dealing with the likes of Sasuke and Naruto, he knew enough to recognize a shinobi with an obviously elevated opinion of himself. It would do the arrogant young man some genuine good to be knocked down a couple of pegs. 

"All he has on us is experience—"

Neji's voice came floating back to him, sounding rather miffed at Sakura's comparison. 

"—and rightfully so. It'd be an embarrassment if someone his age hasn't collected a sizeable repertoire of encounters and battles to tell."

The statement caused Sakura to shuffle somewhat awkwardly in her spot, as she lowered her eyes to the sparse greenery on the ground. 

"He may have been through more than us, but the way you say it, you make it sound like he's some wizened sage. Kakashi's not that much older than us…"

The eavesdropping Jounin noted with interest how she referred to him as simply 'Kakashi' with others, but continued to address him with the 'sensei' attached during their conversations. He'd have to convince her some time that the honorific really wasn't required, and in fact, he much preferred it if she would drop the damn thing completely. 

Neji may have sighed, but then asked, "How old do you think he is?"

For some reason, Kakashi remained especially silent, paying extra care to not even breathe excessively as he waited for her answer. Sakura's response brought a smile to his face that probably would have made him appear ten years younger in reality. 

"He doesn't even look over thirty," Sakura pointed out, picturing Kakashi toned physique in her mind. 

__

Ack, where did that come from?!

"Are you kidding," Neji questioned, his eyebrows rising in obvious incredulity, "just because you can't see his face doesn't mean you can give him the benefit of your imagination. I personally haven't seen hair of his color on anyone under sixty."

Sakura's jaw dropped at this piece of information, while Kakashi's smile disappeared to be replaced by an expression more along the lines of mild annoyance. 

"No way, you don't think Kakashi's that old…do you?"

Neji gave her a look that plainly stated he had less than high opinions of her after she managed to squeak out the last bit of her question. 

"Maybe not sixty...but haven't you noticed that the man also tends to slouch? A clear indication of a weak back, and a sign that the strains of aging are beginning to show."

Kakashi silently vowed to himself that Neji would 'mysteriously' find his backpack to be two times heavier the next day. 

"No," Sakura swallowed, letting Neji's words hit home, "I never thought…so you're saying he may be well into his forties?"

"I'm not sure," the Hyuga noted thoughtfully, "who's to say that he may not be into his fifties? Maybe mental degeneration is the cause of his questionable choice of literature."

__

That's it.

Kakashi resolutely pushed down on his mounting horror at the duo's estimation of his age. If this went on, they'd soon have him pegged as some senile, perverted old man. And he didn't particularly wish to rob Jiraiya of his reputation at this point. 

"As much as it heartens me to hear you two stressing over my health, I have to say that I don't want to know the direction this conversation is going."

Sakura let out a startled gasp at the sudden intrusion, almost jumping into Neji in reaction to her shock. She glanced up almost guiltily at the laid-back looking Jounin, then mumbled a quick, "I'm going to sleep" before making her escape and diving for the safety of her tent. 

As Neji headed for his own tent, he was suddenly pulled aside roughly by Kakashi, who looked him straight in the eye while tightening his hold considerably on the young man's arm.

"And Neji, just to let you know, there is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with my back."

The Sharingan user released him, and walked off as though nothing had happened. 

While watching Kakashi's casual retreat, Neji grinned to himself, only the brief expression quickly dissolved into his typical victory smirk reserved for strategic battles. 

__

Gotcha…take that, you nosey red-eyed bastard. 

***

Two weeks later, the group found themselves crossing the border between the Fire and Grass countries, and entering the busy town of Morioka. It was a good deal larger than the relatively quiet village of Konoha, and the reassuring signs of civilization immensely relieved all three ANBU members. They had been taking minor routes so far, and relying on wild terrains to provide them with campgrounds. Morioka would be the first settled establishment they passed, and that of course meant a real inn along with all the modern amenities. 

The bustling town was fascinating to foreign visitors, and Sakura made plans with Lee to explore the local area after registering at the inn. Their plan fell through though, when Neji mentioned that Lee owed him a good sparring session since a week had gone by since he last practiced his techniques. Not one to be bested by his longtime rival, the taijutsu specialist had regretfully apologized since he would be unable to walk around with her. 

After Lee took off to pursue his ritual training regime, Sakura found herself alone back within the plain wooden walls of her room, and decidedly hungry to boot. 

__

No sense in starving myself if the guys want to fast in favor of fighting.

After showering and changing into her Chuunin uniform, the kunoichi grabbed her coin purse from a hidden pocket in her backpack and headed down the flight of inn stairs, only to nearly collide with Kakashi as she rounded the corner at the bottom. 

Sakura had reflexively thrown her hands out as a means of bracing against the impending collision. What she didn't realize was that the action caused her to unthinkingly clutch the shirtfront of one perspiring Jounin. 

Coincidentally, Kakashi had responded by automatically gripping Sakura by the shoulders in an attempt to lessen the impact. His firm hold was sufficient in foiling her efforts to jump back from their close proximity. The naturally heady scent of male musk assaulted her senses, causing the young woman to blush furiously as she stubbornly tried to back away. 

"Wonder which genius' idea it was to have the stairs right beside a blind corner," she grumbled, conveying her embarrassment as Kakashi released her. 

Keeping her eyes determinedly averted from catching his expression, Sakura smoothed out the front of her navy shirt. Heaven help her if he decided to wear that all-knowing look of his right now…

"And where are you off to," he asked, once there was breathing space between them again.

A telltale growl of protest from her traitorous stomach answered his question.

"Hmph, getting some dinner," she muttered, flushing at her body's disregard for her humility, "I don't plan on starving myself. Don't tell me you've all been practicing some hunger-suppressing jutsu I haven't heard of—"

Kakashi gazed fondly at the disgruntled figure of his former student. He hadn't realized it, but was now struck full force with how much he had missed Sakura's often incessant chattering. It was somewhat of a welcome change after several years of taxing and often solo missions dealing with other tight-lipped shinobi.

"Dinner, eh? That sounds about right, I'm up for it."

The Jounin stopped on his way out the inn doors when he noticed Sakura had made no move to follow him. Instead, she was regarding him with an expression torn between amusement and nausea. 

"Um, Kakashi-sensei," she ventured weakly, "don't you at least want to change into some fresh clothes?"

Looking at her queasy, effort-consuming smile, Kakashi didn't know whether to be humored or insulted. As he smoothed away several unruly bangs from his face, the older shinobi decided that he'd acquiesce to her little sensibilities this time. 

"Alright then," he nodded, "I'll be back down in a bit."

Once upstairs, Kakashi peeled off his sweat-drenched shirt, and then made for the bathroom where he filled the sink with cold water. Using a hand towel, he went on to give his upper body a refreshing wipe down, until he was left with the cooling sensation of water droplets evaporating off his heated skin. He pulled on a clean shirt, and finally donned his flak jacket before going back down. 

Returning, he found Sakura conversing amicably with the innkeeper. Upon sighting him, she rewarded the Jounin with one of her brilliant smiles. 

"Let's go already! And er, this does mean you're treating, right?"

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at her hopeful expression. He shrugged, and then smiled in spite of himself at the pout she resorted to wearing. 

Once outside, the foreign sounds of a bustling town immediately enveloped the two shinobi, who took their time taking in the fascinating sights. Well, Kakashi mainly slowed his pace for Sakura's benefit, as it was her first time in Morioka. The young woman spent most her energy admiring the busy stalls and bazaars that stretched continuously along the impressively constructed streets. 

Crowds of demanding customers mingled with the busy merchants, who displayed their mountainous array of goods with enthusiastic pride. The spiced smells of yakitori wafted from the carts of street vendors, making Sakura's mouth water upon catching the enticing odors. She began striding purposely towards one of the carts, when Kakashi arrested her advance with a firm hand on her shoulder. He could have sworn that a whimper of protest escaped her as she looked yearningly at the source of food. 

"Not that," he almost coaxed, while squashing down his urge to give in to uproarious laughter, "the local specialty here is its gyoza. I know the best place for it too."

He led her another couple of blocks, to a homely looking food stand that reminded Sakura much of the Ichiraku back in Konoha. She eyed Kakashi dubiously, but didn't complain as he pulled her to a pair of stools in front of the clean wooden counter. 

"A jumbo platter of gyoza, please," he told the middle-aged woman behind the counter, who smiled warmly at them before moving to fill the order, "I would order you a drink too, but…I'm sure you can understand why I'm less than inclined to."

That earned him another withering glare. 

"So it was you then…um, thanks for making sure I got home,"

But it was strangely satisfying to see her rosy flush of embarrassment. Though he almost had to kick himself as a reminder that Sakura was a frequently emotional female, and that meant he'd better watch what he said in front of her if he planned on making it to the Sand Village intact. 

"No problem, though I hope that was a one time thing?"

She said nothing in reply. 

Moments later, a huge sizzling plate of the local delicacy was delivered to them, the heavenly aroma convincing Sakura that the slight delay was very much worth it. She immediately dug in, depositing morsel after morsel into her own individual bowl before devouring them. They were sumptuous, and it wasn't until she had polished off at least half the platter that she noticed the plate was empty. 

In her haste, Sakura hadn't even noticed when Kakashi began eating, but it was obvious that he'd finished his share long before she did. She marveled at how he didn't seem to suffer from indigestion given his less than healthy eating habits. Before she could comment though, Kakashi had ordered another plate, and talk was out of the question until her stomach was appeased.

Smacking her lips in contentment, Sakura eyed the remainders of their latest platter of the pan-fried tidbits with interest. It was half unfinished, and she seriously doubted either she or Kakashi could manage to cram another bite of food down their throats. 

"Excuse me," she spoke to the woman behind the counter, "could I order another jumbo-sized plate of your gyoza and two large takeout boxes?"

The request was quickly taken care of, and Sakura spoke her thanks when another steaming platter of food along with the requested items was set down in front of her.

Kakashi watched with interest, his small smile of amusement concealed by the ever-present facemask, as Sakura methodically divided the bite-size morsels into two equal portions and carefully transferred them into the pair of styrofoam containers. It was unexpected that she would like the local specialty that much, but it made him oddly pleased to see her enjoying herself. He was seriously considering dropping by the restaurant one last time tomorrow when they left town, just so that he could buy some more for the trip. Sakura's gleeful exclamation brought him out of his plans. 

"There, now Lee and Neji can't blame us for running off to eat without them. Those two, they must be starving after their training, but they'd die before admitting their priorities need rearranging." 

She stacked the two white containers one on top of another, then picked them up in preparation to leave. It wasn't until she got up from her stool that she noticed Kakashi hadn't budged, and appeared to be staring fixedly at the boxes she clutched in her arms. 

"Kakashi-sensei?"

Whatever trance he was in, the Jounin seemed to snap out of it when he noticed Sakura reaching for the coin purse dangling at her waist. Shaking his head, Kakashi placed his larger hand gently over her searching one, and pulled the required amount from his own pocket. 

"I thought you were intent on having me treat you,"

Sakura bit back a snort of disbelief, and instead stuck her tongue out impishly at her former sensei, whom she distinctly remembered as being a cheapskate of sorts. 

"I was only kidding. But if this is some new resolution of yours, I'll be sure to tell Naruto next time I see him. I'm sure he'll only be too overjoyed."

While wondering how he could escape the prospect of forking his life earnings over to the Ichiraku owner, Kakashi grinned thoughtfully as he and Sakura left the restaurant. He turned his attention back to the young woman walking cheerfully at his side, his exposed eye taking in the comforting sight. 

"You like to take care of others, don't you?"

Sakura looked up at the sudden question, her brows knitting together ever so slightly before releasing. 

"Sensei, I think you're describing yourself," she shot back with a smile, before turning her head to gaze at the market stalls they passed, "Naruto still tells me about the horrible time when you popped up at his window uninvited with a month's supply of veggies." 

"Well," Kakashi reasoned, "it doesn't take much to please Naruto now, does it? Cup ramen for every meal and he'll be happy as a clam. But the preservatives in those alone would kill him."

Sakura laughed aloud at that, only to chance a glimpse at her companion. He was walking with his usual relaxed gait, while the evening sunset cast a rich, golden hue over his serene features. The man seemed to take everything in stride; nothing phased or upset him since he was always able to dispatch even the greatest of tragedies with a lazy glance. He had not been emotional during the Sandaime's funeral, nor did he even blink when they told him about Sasuke's departure. But that also meant that Sakura had never seen him experience great joy or take pleasure in anything. 

Studying his masked face now, the kunoichi wondered if emotional extremes were beyond him due to his shinobi training and experiences. 

"Sensei," she suddenly inquired out of curiosity, "what makes _you_ happy?"

Kakashi blinked, and started. He was soon coughing as a result of choking in the midst of his shock.

"What do you mean," he asked, somewhat confused, "I'm not usually unhappy, right?"

"I know…but just, when do you find yourself happiest?"

He pondered this, since one glance into Sakura's bright, earnest eyes told him that she was dead serious and expected an answer. 

"Alright," he offered a little awkwardly, "being with my comrades. Like now, I'm perfectly happy."

"You could have fooled me," Sakura muttered under her breath, but the other caught it anyway. 

"One doesn't always wear their emotions where others can see them, Sakura."

His tone was gentle, and when she caught his eye, he was obviously smiling at her. The idea that Kakashi purposely concealed his emotions was not new, but Sakura suddenly had the revelation that maybe Kakashi's nonchalant attitude was adopted for the benefit of others as well. In that regard he was very much like Sasuke, only Kakashi's method was more effective because it put those around him at ease. 

Most people were ready to accept the fact that Kakashi was simply an unemotional man, and would leave it at that. That was what made his presence so comforting: he was the reliable base that you could always depend upon, because as unpredictable as his tactics and attacks were, Kakashi the man was a constant. Sakura realized then that there was so much she didn't know about him, he was perhaps one of the greatest enigmas she had ever encountered. And there was a strangely invisible, but ever powerful pulling factor that drew her to find out more about him.

__

This is at least an improvement from the guy who told us during introductions that his likes and dislikes were none of our business. 

"Oh," the subject of her speculation interrupted unknowingly, "I wanted to talk to you about your obsession with tacking the sensei bit onto my name. In all honesty Sakura, your insistence in calling me 'sensei' makes me feel really old."

"But Sensei," she protested laughingly, "it's not good to be in denial about your age. You should accept and be proud of all the years you've amassed." 

"Neji really brainwashed you good, didn't he," Kakashi sighed, "you know I'm really only a bit over thirty."

"Whatever Kakashi-sensei," Sakura snickered in reply, completely intent on teasing him now. 

"Not to mention," he explained, looking slightly offended since she didn't seem to believe him, "that there should be more to us than just a simple student-teacher dimension. I would hope that we're at least friends. Teammates now too, correct?" 

For some reason, the idea that she and Kakashi were not merely defined by their student-teacher relationship thrilled Sakura immensely. 

"So not just 'sensei' then," she whispered to herself, and pronounced his name loud enough for him to hear, "Kakashi."

That sounded much more fitting to both parties.

"Why did you join ANBU," Kakashi asked after a moment of silence. It was something that had been bothering him for a while now. He had originally thought that someone with Sakura's disposition would be happiest teaching or assisting with another special department such as foreign relations or tactics. 

"Because I could," she replied honestly, "I didn't really think much about it. The opportunity came up, so I took it." 

Her reply earned her a disapproving frown from the Jounin. 

"So you just plunged in without thinking. Did you realize what you would be getting yourself into?"

Sakura cowered slightly under the subtle admonishment that edged Kakashi's words. He seemed genuinely upset by her response. But who was he to be suddenly demanding reasons for her choices?

"I know what my duties and responsibilities are," she stated confidently, "and I understand I may have been a burden in the past. But let me assure you that I don't plan on being extra weight for anyone in the future."

Her gaze met his challengingly, as though daring him to contradict her. The emerald fire lighting her eyes took Kakashi back to the meeting tower where third round preliminaries for the Chuunin exam had taken place years ago. Sakura had held that same determined expression during her fight with Ino. 

"Good then," he said simply, though his mind's voice felt obliged to say so much more. Maybe it was his protective instincts carrying over from the days of Team 7, but Kakashi knew instinctively that he would do everything in his power to look out for her. 

__

To make up for my absence when she needed guidance, he justified to himself. He found it much easier to accept that way.

***

It wasn't hard to tell when they had left the Grass Country and ventured into the vast lands that would make up the Wind nation's territory. For one, the climate began to drastically change. There was none of the temperate humidity that came with frequent rain showers, characteristics of the Grass and Rain countries. Instead, all signs of vegetation began to thin out until they were eventually surrounded by nothing but miles upon miles of coarse yellow sand. 

At first Sakura had been enthralled by the sight, especially since this was the farthest she had ever journeyed from Konoha. But pretty soon, she began to see the environment for what it was: a daunting habitat that sought to destroy life rather than nurture it. By the end of the day, each shinobi would wipe tiredly at their faces, finding themselves caked in a layer of sandy grit that covered every inch of exposed skin. The ANBU masks were almost immediately abandoned in favor of long, cloth scarves that they wrapped protectively about their heads. 

The duststorms were the worst, and those seemed to occur more frequently the closer they traveled to the Sand Village. Sakura spent many a night awake and trembling in her little tent that seemed ridiculously flimsy and vulnerable as the night winds howled menacingly outside. She silently thanked the deities that Kakashi was with them, since he knew a number of tips about surviving in the harsh environment. 

He instructed them to trench the ground around their campsite each evening, as it lessened the possibility of their tents being buried under the torrents of sand. He also showed them how to set up solar stills to collect precious amounts of water. Under the tough conditions, it seemed that Neji finally developed a grudging acceptance of Kakashi's leadership, since direct clashes between them soon disappeared altogether. 

Ironically, the weather appeared to settle on the day they reached the East Gate entrance to the Sand Village. By then, each ANBU member wanted nothing more than to return to their own village, and secretly pitied the Sand shinobi for having to withstand such harsh conditions constantly. It was a remarkable feat that a country in such a disadvantaged location could harness its resources and become one of the Great Five shinobi nations. 

The Sand shinboi serving as a sentry at the gate quirked an eyebrow at the ragged looking squad from the Leaf, and began snickering obviously at their expense. 

"Hatake Kakashi," he drawled, "Kazekage-sama has been expecting your group. But with your reputation, we weren't counting on you showing up until the day after tomorrow. You're on time."

Kakashi only nodded in agreement, before presenting the passports of his squad. 

"I hope this doesn't mean that we won't be able to meet with Kazekage-sama immediately," he intoned seriously.

"No, of course not," the other shinobi hastily remarked, "as I said before, you're expected."

As the Sand shinobi moved off to summon their escorts, Kakashi turned to the trio and smiled in a way that was surprisingly close to encouragement. Whatever it was, it accomplished the task of sparking new energy within their exhausted bodies. 

"Be ready guys, cause from now on your ninja skills are worth zilch without the accompanying subtlety, observation, and pretense. But look at it this way...this is where the fun finally begins."

They believed him. 

_____________________________________________________________________

Author's Notes:

So yes, with summer break underway, I get lots more time to work on this. And that means faster updates for sure. Thanks for being patient with me, and I'll only be working harder for you guys. A lot of people are wondering if Sasuke will be making an appearance in this fic. My answer to that is a complete and definite YES! How would everything be complete if our favorite loner didn't show up? ;) And of course, I welcome all reviews. It's always great to know what you guys think so far. See you all next update!

****

Review Responses: 

QuasiAngel: Whew, I've got timing, don't I ;)? Hope this chapter was to your liking as well!

Nocterayne: I'm horrible, aren't I? Interfering with education…O.o But since I sometimes cut studying to write, I'd say we're even ^^. Let's just say that Sakura and her mysterious "tutor" have a pretty twisted relationship going on there. 

katsuhito sage: Your reviews are amazing, it makes me so warm and fuzzy inside to see someone enjoying this fic as much as you are! Yay for spring break, right? I was actually debating whether to keep all the attacks in Japanese or to translate them, so I kind of decided on a weird 50/50 split. But I'll try Babelfish tho, thanx! 

Demeter1: Yeah, KakaSaku is definitely a kink…but I will argue to the death that there are canon hints! Er right…You're right about the hair description bit, it was one of the most frustrating things coming up with synonyms for "pink". That's actually a very interesting point you noticed about the ANBU trio and the Naruto cult pairings. A coincidence, maybe? ^_~

Zsych: I nearly spit all over my keyboard with your comment about controlling Sasuke's sex drive ^^. Maybe it'd improve his personality, though maybe not. Dude, don't I wish I had Kishimoto's powers? Sasuke and Naruto's appearances will be imminent, and they promise to be…interesting. Hope you enjoy the coming chapters!

Mikazuki1: *sniffle* Your kind words touch me to the bottom of my Naruto-obsessed, um, heart! It's awesome knowing that you enjoy this fic that much. I hope the Neji/Lee/Saku/Kaka interaction was to your liking. There'll definitely be more, so I hope to see ya for future chapters!

Lady Light: Poor Sakura, there's just too much excitement in her life, eh? ;)

oOoshortayoOo: Thanks for the compliment! It's great to know that this thing reads like a novel ^^. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Jewel Song: Thank ye! Yes, Sasuke definitely be appearing, that's one encounter that just needs to happen. I hope you liked this chapter, and there'll be lots more coming!

Bronwen Stx: Oh no, the plan's been found out! I might have to abort the mission of converting Naruto fans into KakaSaku fans one by one ;) There are other great KakaSaku fics out there, I recommend "Another Wolf" and "Never Forgotten" as ones that I've read that are both on fanfic.net. Thank you muchly for the lovely review! Naruto will be appearing…if he can take time off his own training and random trips outside the village. Ouch, do you know how hard it is to clean blood from the keyboard? O.o *hands you bandages* Hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

EmptySanity: Hehe, I thought I was pretty obvious about the mysterious figure. But if everyone wants to keep guessing, I won't stop them ^^. I totally agree that Sakura would be different if Sasuke wasn't her focal point. Lol, I can sympathize with you, there are tons of people out there who don't like Sasuke!

bishonen_no_miko: Yeah, ch.212 was great, the appearance of the Sand siblings was completely unexpected. It doesn't really help with my plotline, but I taper off at ch.210 anyways, so we'll pretend that never happened ;) It's always a pleasure reading your encouraging reviews, and I'll try to keep the quality of my writing while producing chapters faster. Should happen…since I have more time now. And yes, I cannot wait for the movie!! Another step towards figuring out the enigma that is Kakashi, perhaps?

cuito: Thanks ever so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, and there's more coming, hehehe.

Sailor Tiamat: Yeah, that would be a really cruel joke, wouldn't it? Hope you liked this chapter, and I'll see ya for the future ones!

Yukino: Wow, I'm stunned that I've managed to capture the attention of someone who usually hates Sakura fics. Tons of thanks, I hope you stick around for the future chapters!

Musquash: Let us elope! I'll bring the chocolate, and we can travel the world while spending our days in decadence ^^. You have no idea how encouraging your review is, makes my day/month/year. I'll be checking out more of your fics for sure, now that the agony known as school has released me from its sordid clutches!

ph34R tH3 CuT3 0N3s: Thanks for the wonderful vote of confidence! There needs to be more KakaSaku fics, *hint, hint*. Are you currently writing Naruto fics? I'll have to check 'em out then ^^! And oooh, KakaSaku fanart! Where can I find your drawings, since I'm such a huge sucker for Naruto artwork? Hope you liked the latest chapter!

Kenhime: Omg, your review kicks! I thoroughly enjoyed all your pet names for the red-eyed men of Konoha ;) It thrills me to know that you found the plot engaging, and worth coming back for more. Yeah, Mr. Akatsuki is going to be making interesting appearances that will hopefully be worth it. Thanks for all the hug-worthy encouragement, and I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters!!

rogue solus: Thanx! Hope you like this latest chapter!

jane: I'm glad you found it funny ^^. They're an entertaining bunch, aren't they?

shigeru: Good to know that this thing is flowing alright! Thanks for the review!

shimmer: I'll be continuing this for sure! Yay for KakaSaku!

nefretrw: Thanks for the awesome compliment! I haven't tried reading any of the KakaSaku stories on the Japanese sites, but let it be known that there should be more KakaSaku fic! *nudge, nudge* I agree that stereotypes bite, and it's encouraging to know that I have a somewhat decent plot ^^. I just might be one of those people who can only work under pressure tho, might explain why I procrastinate o.O. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

uselessprincess: Yay, another KakaSaku fan! This warms my heart indeed. Thanks for the tasty compliments, and I hope you enjoy the escapades of our little ANBU group. Genma may very well be making future appearances too! I hope to see ya for the upcoming chapters!


	5. Whom the Wind Will Shape

**Author's Notes:**

Um, yes, I have no excuse to offer about this delayed update other than things didn't go as planned. Now I'll let everyone just read the chapter while I go hide under the safety of my bed. Thanks for all the continuous support from my reviewers. You know you all rule, right?

**Disclaimer:** See Chapter 1.

* * *

The first impression that foreigners usually gleaned from the Hidden Sand Village was a consuming sense of barren isolation. Hundreds of miles away from any neighboring signs of human settlement, the village itself was a secluded community nestled away in the heart of a vast and daunting desert. Only as she followed their escort through the open streets, Sakura was overcome with a keenly acute sense of disparity and overriding suspicion.

Though the shinobi village resembled her own in many ways, one could readily see the differences if they paid close attention. While the villagers the Leaf group passed all appeared occupied and content to continue about their own business, the aura of distrust emanating from the people was almost tangible. The local civilians paid little to no attention towards the foreigners who strolled openly through their village, though occasionally suspicious glances were tossed in group's general direction.

Their escort, a man by the name of Ichiro, who had the glaring habit of running stubby fingers over his balding head, made no attempt to engage the Leaf squad in any casual conversation. Instead, he preferred to mumble to himself under his breath, keeping his stern features pulled into a constant frown of worry. Sakura noted the bronze hue of his deeply tanned skin that was typical for Sand shinobi and unconsciously wiped at her own chalky complexion that was sporting a sizeable litter of burns. Thankfully she had packed a decent supply of aloe vera gel, since the painful areas needed to be treated twice daily to keep discomfort at a minimum. Even now, the back of her neck was peeling with new skin.

After an extremely awkward though thankfully brief traipse across town, Ichiro finally led them to the Sand Village's Central Administration Complex, where a part of the conventional building had been sectioned of as living quarters for foreign dignitaries. It was an unusual but appropriate honor extended to Kakashi's squad when they were allowed residence there for the duration of their stay.

They found four individual rooms joined by an impressive common area, all located in the east wing of the building. Ichiro made a fumbled attempt at reassuring the visitors that all their needs would be provided for, and then left hurriedly to inform the Kazekage of their arrival.

At the sound of the closing door, all four Leaf shinobi promptly shared a look and at Kakashi's signaling nod, meticulously began turning their living space upside down in an attempt to find implanted bugs. After conducting a thorough search that left the rooms looking like the aftermath of a domestic battle, they reassembled in the common room, where Sakura threw herself wearily onto one of the two pillowing couches. Kakashi plunked down beside her while Neji and Lee sat opposite them.

"Sakura's room happens to be on the far-east corner," Kakashi told the resting group, "and appears to be the most soundproof. Any confidential conversations will be held there."

"Hmph, as if I want you all piling in there," the kunoichi grumbled before getting up to grab them all drinks from the fridge.

"How soon do think Kazekage-sama will see us?" asked Lee, who relaxed back in his seat and started drumming his fingers against the couch arm.

Kakashi scratched at his neck pensively, while the other hand tugged at the edge of his facemask to make sure that all desired areas were sufficiently covered.

"With the way things look," he replied reflectively, "I would guess soon, if not tomorrow then the day after for sure. It'll be even sooner if we make things expensive for them."

Lee looked positively scandalized for a moment, before an ear-splitting grin spread across his face.

"I'm sure that'll be easy once Sakura reports her findings back to us,"

"If you mean the fridge, then it's definitely well-stocked," came the voice from the other room, " I see five different brands of drinks alone…you have to wonder what it costs the village to have this stuff imported."

Neji listened silently, all the while with his head tilted sideways slightly in a meditative position. Just as Sakura returned with their drinks, he directed a questioning gaze towards their Jounin squad leader.

"Kakashi, I remember when we were still in the Grass Country that you mentioned something about the existence of a rebel faction in the Sand village. Would that have any bearing on the current situation here?"

"I haven't heard anything really specific," informed the older shinobi, who shook his head after catching the invitingly cold water bottle Sakura tossed to him, "but they appear to be some poorly organized ragtag group. They shouldn't be that much cause for concern, or else we would have known more about them. But what's interesting is that there have been several notable attempts on the Kazekage's life."

Sakura held her own drink up to her sweltering forehead while carefully considering this information. It wasn't unusual for the Kage of a village to be the target of assassination attempts, but it was strange to have an entire faction devoted to the cause.

"Do we know who these people are?" she asked curiously.

"No and it'd be best to not bring this issue up during the talks." The Copy Ninja rubbed at the bridge of his nose tiredly in an effort to clear his mind. "But then again, our focus shouldn't be solely on the talks themselves. We will need to pay a decent amount of attention to whether or not this village looks like it's planning for a large scale military operation."

"It's common courtesy to give foreign delegates a tour," Sakura interjected, "that would be a good chance to see their facilities and training centers."

The others all nodded their agreement, and spent the remainder of the evening drawing up a detailed list of discussion topics that would need to be negotiated during their meeting with the Kazekage.

As predicted, the summons arrived early the next morning. Minutes after the crack of dawn, Ichiro delivered the message that the Kazekage had invited the Leaf delegation to meet with him in the main reception room in several hours.

All four shinobi from Konoha decided that it would be best if they appeared in standard uniforms instead of ANBU apparel. While Neji slipped a last few weapons into the pocket of his kunai holster, Kakashi cleared his throat to direct everyone's attention towards a new concern.

"We need a spokesperson, someone who can easily outline our case to the other side."

"I nominate Sakura-chan," Lee exclaimed with a wide grin, "she knows the most about these things!"

"Huh?! I can't do that." The kunoichi, who was still in the process of towel-drying her hair, poked her head into the room, "I assumed Kakashi would automatically fill that role." She shot an almost pleading glance to the Jounin.

"Actually I'm pretty awful with talks," the other admitted in a near regretful tone.

"I nominate Sakura as well."

Neji added his two cents for the first time, while shooting his disbelieving teammate a look that said: _Don't you dare get cold feet now_.

"Done," Kakashi announced simply, before turning to Sakura who seemed on the verge of erupting at the men who unjustly ganged up on her. "Relax, you know enough about the situation to do this with ease. We all have faith in you."

She clung to those last words as their party entered the elongated reception room, where the sable-tinted walls appeared to be gradually closing in on them. The high collar of her shirt suddenly felt abnormally confining as she turned her focus to the three awaiting figures that stood in the centre of the room.

Much to her surprise, the Kazekage turned out to be a disappointingly unremarkable-looking man. Though dressed in the traditional robes befitting a Kage, his presence just didn't draw the due amount of respect and awe that it should have. His un-magnetic quality could also have been attributed to the fact that his shorter-than-average stature was dwarfed by the two imposing figures beside him. Both of the men donned uniforms belying their Sand Jounin rank, and stood just far enough behind their leader to provide him with the perfect backing.

The bulky man on the left was familiar to Sakura, who remembered him as Baki, with the identifiable tattooing on his half-hidden face. She remembered him as the sensei for Gaara and his siblings from watching them during the third round preliminaries at the Chuunin exam. Now that she thought about it, the Leaf kunoichi wondered whether she'd be encountering those three again since their last encounter had been enough to leave her with a lasting impression.

The other Sand Jounin was a taller, dark-skinned man of slighter build who wore the plain white head covering common to most Sand shinobi, along with a pair of dark, reflective shades that caught the minimal light streaming into the poorly lit room.

_Weirdo_, Sakura mused to herself before a politely cultured voice broke through her thoughts.

"Our guests from Konoha. . .please seat yourselves."

The Kazekage's voice gave away his identity as a fairly young man beneath the cloth covering that shielded his face from much scrutiny. As they all settled themselves around a grand circular table, Sakura secretly wondered how such a less than formidable character had managed to obtain the coveted position of Kazekage. As though sensing her silent appraisal of him, the young man swung his curious hazel gaze in her direction. Discomfited, the kunoichi quickly returned her gaze to the obsidian surface of the table.

"We have been anticipating your arrival since a letter from Hokage-sama was received. I trust that you are here for the singular purpose of 'improving inter-village relations', as she called it?"

Three of the Leaf shinobi silently took the opportunity to defer to their roseate-haired teammate.

"Yes Kagekage-sama," Sakura replied respectfully, while slipping seamlessly into her assigned role, much to the elation of her team, "we bring you greetings from our Godaime. You are right, we are here to promote better relations between our hidden villages."

Kakashi noted with interest how the Kazekage's gaze traveled over Sakura, near brimming with pleasant surprise that the spokesperson for the group was arguably this docile-looking creature. The inspecting eyes went from curious to warm in a matter of seconds before he spread his arms in a clear gesture of salutation.

"I see that Tsunade has evidently selected among her best to meet with me. I naturally must return the deed. . .hence Baki and Yasu here will be joining me."

After curt nods from both men, Sakura went ahead and introduced her party.

"You flatter us, Kazekage-sama. I am Haruno Sakura, and this here is Hyuga Neji and Rock Lee. I'm sure you know or have heard of Hatake Kakashi, so I think that's pretty much all we need in the way of introductions."

"Ah yes, Hatake Kakashi," the Kazekage repeated with something akin to respect, "I have heard much about the infamous Copy Ninja from Konoha. This is truly a pleasure."

The Head of the Sand Village settled against the firm back of his chair, and leisurely began to tap his slender white fingers together in a thoughtful manner. Sakura thought that it served to make him appear infinitely worldlier.

"Shall we begin then?" he asked mildly, as he glanced at each of the Leaf shinobi in turn. "I realize that our two villages have had, ah, minor 'misgivings' in the past, but it truly gladdens me to see that you are taking the initiative for increased cooperation between us. As you will see, our village has made countless great improvements in the last few years."

A faint sound that may have been on par with a derisive snort escaped from Neji, who was seated to Sakura's left. Kakashi, who was finding himself immensely put off by the Kazekage's grand attitude and flowery mannerism, couldn't help but agree with Neji's disdainful sentiments. In his experience, only shinobi who had seen very little of real live combat spoke so high-handedly. It peeved him just a tad that this man would essentially dismiss an event that had cost numerous shinobi lives as a simple "misgiving".

"Good for you," he couldn't help but comment nonchalantly, "you guys have moved beyond acting as lapdogs for psychotic missing nins."

There was a stunned silence that followed, as shinobi from both sides collected their jaws and rampant emotions.

"We were duped," came the growl from Baki, who recovered first to aim a death glare at Kakashi, "and Konoha was not exactly generous with help during the ensuing crisis. And as a side note, one of our Jounins has disappeared while on duty in around the Fire Country's perimeter. Do you know anything that could help us solve this mystery?"

"We know nothing, and regarding the post-invasion period, I'm pretty sure we were pretty lenient in our treatment of the ones who attempted to destroy our village and murder our Hokage."

Neji's fiercely cutting remark was sufficient to incite a whole new round of flying glares around the table. Lee, who had always regarded the Sand shinobi as a potential enemy, looked seconds from leaping across the table and doing to Baki what Gaara had done to him five years prior.

Only Sakura and the Kazekage appeared genuinely worried that the discussion looked ready to fall apart before it even began. Casting a "you know better" glower at her former sensei, the kunoichi wracked her brains for a way to save the mission that was quickly coming undone before her very eyes.

_Guys, remember who was the one you all nominated as your goddamn spokesperson? Now kindly shut the hell up._

In her mounting agitation, Sakura's roving eyes stopped on Yasu, whom she fully expected to be glowering in a hearty mixture of fury and outrage. Much to her surprise, the other shinobi turned out to be the least expressive person present. Other than an occasional tightening of his fisted hand on the table, he remained as stone-faced as before.

Frustrated, Sakura settled for venting her annoyance by kicking Neji and Lee sharply under the table. Both winced surreptitiously, and Kakashi would have been her next victim had the Jounin not opened his mouth and saved himself from a timely assault.

"Well, now that that's all out and done with, can we get down to business? No sense starting something unless we commence on a fresh page."

She could have sworn he then winked at her.

"My feelings exactly," the Kazekage exclaimed, hurriedly grasping onto Kakashi's every word before shooting Baki a warning look, "shall we bury the past? No sense in bringing all that up since it has no place in the future,"

When all that met his statement were stony silence and a single grunt of accord, he gave a falsely cheerful laugh.

"Good, good. Now our guests all look like they were deprived of a good night's rest. Desert climate not to your tastes, I assume? I recommend we close today's discussion and continue tomorrow."

There was no argument hence both groups rose, though still retaining a measure of subdued hostility. On their way to the exit, the Leaf squad was stopped by the Kazekage, who produced a card-sized plaque in the shape of an inverted triangle.

"This is a specially issued pass," he explained to them, after passing the gold piece to Sakura, "it will permit you to leave this building and travel freely around the village. Please do not hesitate to explore around as you wish."

Just as Sakura was about to tuck the item into her vest, Kakashi deftly snatched the object from her grasp while pointedly ignoring her questioning glare.

"We will have little time to meander about, as charming as the village is. And we will be sure to inform Kazekage-sama if there is someplace we would happen to want to see."

He tossed the pass back expertly, and noticed how the object slipped from the Kazekage's grasp when he barely caught it. Thankfully Baki was there to snatch it up before it impacted with the ground.

_We won't need a pass for the exploring we intend to do._

Kakashi discovered that his step was much lighter upon exiting the conference room than it was when entering. He always did hate the little necessities that were put on for show.

* * *

_Ah. . .that's better._

Rotating his right shoulder to work out a few kinks he had accumulated from a night of restless sleep, Kakashi found himself pacing about the common room while errant thoughts plagued his peace of mind. Years of honed gut instinct told him that something was off about the whole situation at hand, and it was bothering the Jounin to know that the trouble spot couldn't be exactly pinpointed. Nagging doubts had kept him awake and resulted in his early rise, since he was hoping to freshen his mind with a light jog around the compound.

Neji and Lee had been up fairly early as well, and Kakashi had sent the two energetic young men out to "explore the village". Those had been his exact words, and he had made it pretty clear to them that there was much to be gleaned from casual observation of the regular day-to-day activities happening within the village.

Noticing that it was close to eight, the Copy Ninja decided to check and see if Sakura was up yet. Strolling casually up to her door, he listened for any signs of the young woman having roused before knocking lightly on the wooden surface. There was a sharp gasp from inside, followed by a muffled protest that sounded suspiciously like "Mo, domegan!" Frowning in confusion, Kakashi called out a somewhat hesitant, "Sakura…?" before opening the door to check on her.

Fwap!

"Argh, listen you two, just because my room's being used for confidential discussions doesn't mean you can intrude whenever you feel like it."

Still marginally perplexed, Kakashi blinked dispassionately down at the day-glow yellow camisole that was adorning his shoulder, then fixed his stare on the coral-haired individual who was kneeling on the floor with her back to him. Too busy rifling through her backpack to turn around, Sakura looked completely immersed in her task as she took intermittent bites from a mochi cake she held in one hand.

As though sensing that neither Lee nor Neji would have stayed silent for so long, the kunoichi suddenly whipped her head around in Kakashi's direction. The Jounin found it immensely endearing when her eyes widened impossibly and her full little mouth stopped mid-chew.

_One, two, three. . ._

"So, I guess I can expect random objects thrown at me whenever I open a closed door with you on the other side?"

"No, er, ah, I, K-Kakashi. . . "

What was it with her complete inability to not humiliate herself in front of this man?

Kakashi took her silence to be a good thing as opposed to her launching into one of her infamous verbal tirades. After removing the piece of clothing from his person, he gave his usual uncomfortable cough that came naturally during his _what the hell do I say now…?_ moments. This was the first time the two of them had ended up alone ever since their brief little sojourn in Morioka. Though Kakashi knew that he would forever look back on that particular episode with fond remembrance, it had not served to completely break the inherent awkwardness between him and Sakura. But it should have made interaction between them slightly easier. And now here he was, in front of her and at a loss for words.

Much to his relief, Sakura, bless her little heart, relieved him of his trying task when she beckoned him in.

"Don't just stand in the doorway then, Sen-, uh, Kakashi. Come in."

Understandably, the Jounin wasn't entirely ready to do so with perfect confidence. He began warily taking miniscule steps forward.

"Oh for—" If possible, Sakura's face turned a shade redder. "Don't tell me the guy who's probably been targeted by every known type of projectile in existence is scared of my wardrobe?"

"No," Kakashi replied, straight-faced, "but if you start launching pieces of your ANBU apparel at me, then I'll really start panicking."

That broke any residual traces of uncertainty, as they both dissolved into soft laughter. Sakura beckoned him in once again with an impatient wave of her hand.

"Don't mind the mess. . .just trying to find my forehead protector, it's been awhile since I last wore it."

"I'm sure that simultaneously eating your breakfast is helping," the other smiled.

"An amazing feat, I assure you."

Sakura finished off her cake in several hasty bites, and with a triumphant "Ah-ha!", extricated the item from the dark depths of her bag. Carefully, she laid it out in front of her, as though afraid it would wander off as soon as she let go.

Kakashi's focus however, was suddenly diverted to the pretty snatch of pink fabric that Sakura clutched in her other hand.

"What have you got there?"

Before she could protest, he had pulled the fabric away, which turned out to be a rather fancy handkerchief. The square of cloth was pink with delicate white lace edging, while decorative stitches framed the name _Sakura_ in a petal-like flurry.

"Wow, this is really nice,"

"Give it," she commanded with a pout, "it's actually kind of embarrassing. . ."

"How so?" Kakashi queried with a raised eyebrow.

"My mom made this. She used to spend a lot of her time making frilly things for me, and I remember having the lacy things drop out of my bag on missions—it's surprising how you never noticed,"

Sakura noticed that Kakashi'e eye had glazed over just a little, and he didn't appear to be listening to her.

"Must be nice to have such a doting parent,"

"Ha, sure but what about when they keep trying to coddle you like you're seven instead of seventeen—"

Her voice dropped off as she blinked.

"You. . .wouldn't know, would you?"

Kakashi scratched his head absently.

"Yeah, probably not. I'm just one among the many."

The words "I'm sorry" were on the tip of her tongue, but they died almost instantly after she realized how ridiculous they would have sounded. Had she ever said she was sorry to either Sasuke or Naruto? No, not ever.

She had always suspected as much, but it was infinitely different to hear Kakashi's admission in person. But it all made sense really. . .what kind of boy would have found it necessary to push himself to accomplish the incredible feat of reaching Chuunin level by age seven?

"Kakashi. . .I don't know what to say," she whispered honestly.

"There's nothing to say really,"

He was able to shrug it all off, but Sakura remained silent. As though sensing her dampening spirits, Kakashi quickly switched tracks in an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

"Er, the handkerchief really matches well with, um, your hair,"

_Tell me I did not just say that. . ._

But Sakura hadn't heard a word. Instead, she looked horrified at her own actions, all the while staring unwaveringly at the gift from her mother.

"I can't imagine. . ."

She tried to envision an existence without her parents, a life without the doting attentions of her mother and the steadfast support from her father. They may not have been able to empathize with most of their daughter's experiences, but they had always encouraged and inspired her with an infinite supply of love and trust. And thought they knew nothing of Sasuke, Sakura knew they would be the type to accept him with open arms. For the longest time, she believed that she could provide him with a family by welcoming him into hers. It would surely be a first step to mending his scarred heart.

When Sakura finally did turn her pretty face back to Kakashi, he could see that her emerald orbs shone even brighter with the watery residue of accumulated tears. It shouldn't have made his chest tighten the way it did.

"You must think I'm such a selfish, ungrateful bitch,"

"No," he responded instantly, and repeated it with more conviction at her scoff, "really, I don't. I'm sure that we'd have the same feelings if our positions were reversed. Sakura, look at me."

He crouched down till he was eye-level with her, and close enough that he could feel the steady warmth of her breath against his skin.

Sakura was a little distraught by his sudden proximity, especially when the man had the unnerving ability of having his one exposed eye observe others with the intensity of two. And the way he went about his quiet scrutiny made it seem like he could pick up on every last speck of her thoughts. This conception had most likely started with Team 7's survival training, when after less than twenty-four of having met her, Kakashi had seen where she was most vulnerable, and was able to use it against her in the most devastating of ways.

It made her want to hide from him, or at the very least, run very far away.

_Why do I care so much about his opinion of me?_

But the truth was, whether she was readily aware of it or not, but she had always cared about what Kakashi thought of her. And because of that, it had hurt her pride when she thought he considered her the weakest one of their original team. She had believed herself to be free of his judgment at one point, but that belief was quickly shattered when he had waltzed back, uninvited, into her life. Only she still couldn't make up her mind on whether that had primarily been a good or bad thing. On one hand, she had been given a small but precious window into the enigma known as Kakashi, and the more she saw the more fascinated she became. But he was now a daily reminder of a past that was forever lost to her.

"Sakura,"

Kakashi had watched the myriad of emotions flicker across her face, each moment keeping him spellbound with enthrallment.

_Sakura, Sakura…why are we behaving like awkward strangers?_

He almost wanted her to confide in him, to see him as the stalwart protector and guide she had once regarded him as. Everything had been so simple back then, for the both of them. She could pursue her girlish fantasies in a carefree manner, and he was given the opportunity to foster the young talent of his team just as his own sensei had done before him.

But Kakashi of all people knew that the way to survival was in looking forward and not back. Only now he had to transmit that idea to the emotional young woman facing him, and convince her that you couldn't always derive comfort from visions of the past.

"Hey," he nudged her with uncharacteristic gentleness, "I almost don't know how to cheer you up. That used to be Naruto's department."

"Yeah," she smiled crookedly.

"Miss him?"

"Uh huh, I wish he was here," came the faint whisper. The ghosts of the past were still too vivid, and not yet purged from her memory because one crucial link was missing.

"I bet you anything he wishes he were here too."

But both of them knew that even if the blonde extrovert were present, Sakura would not be entirely content.

* * *

"Are those notes for the meeting?"

Neji took in the disconcerting picture of Sakura, who was seated next to him at the meeting table, furiously scribbling out line after line of text onto a sheet of paper. A silly sort of grin was decorating her attractive face, and it was just a little alarming.

"No, it's just a list."

"Of…?"

"Things I should be telling Naruto about our little adventure here in the Wind Country. I bet the guy would so wish he was here."

Her teammate arched a perfect eyebrow at the less than satisfactory response. He honestly couldn't believe that she was concerning herself with Naruto, of all people, at this moment. Not when they were minutes away from another round of talks with the Kazekage who was due to arrive any minute now. He and Sakura were also waiting for the rest of their squad to show up.

Perturbed, the Hyuga dared to chance a glance over at what the other was writing. The first line read _Golden grains of sand_, followed by _more sand_, _sand buildings_, _sand sculptures_, _sandwiches in fridge_. . .

He wisely put several more feet of distance between them. That proved it. . .obviously being a member of Team 7 had long-reaching psychological effects. It figured that Naruto would be the only one who'd understand what Sakura was driving at.

"If you have the excess energy to think on behalf of Naruto, maybe you could devote some time to helping Kakashi compose a reply for Hokage-sama instead of leaving him to the oh-so-helpful dolt known as Lee."

"We really don't have much to report back to Tsunade on," Sakura murmured as she could only imagine what Kakashi could possibly think of to put on their missive. But what mattered was that communication still happened between them and Konoha, proving that the link was present and they could keep Tsunade updated if needed.

"Let's just hope that this evening's meeting actually gets us somewhere,"

With a hopeful sigh, Sakura folded her "list" up neatly and tucked it precisely into one of her side pockets. While Neji occupied himself with glaring a hole in the opposing plaster wall, she got up to admire one of the hanging canvases that were the only decoration in the somber room. Upon closer examination, the crude depiction was actually a series of roughly drawn brushstrokes on a coarse fabric surface. It was primeval kanji from what Sakura could tell, and she leant forward for a closer look.

"Remarkable, don't you think?"

The ANBU units stood to attention at the traveling lilt that typified the Kazekage, only to see him enter alone. He stepped forward alongside Sakura, and motioned towards the faded canvas.

"A token, I think, from our ancestors. There is a popular legend here in the Wind Country that says we are a people born and molded from the elements of wind and sand."

Sakura looked appreciatively up again at the animated characters brushed onto the ancient scripture. The archaic kanji seemed to form the disconnected phrase of: _The wind shapes all, given time._

"If you admire this piece," the Kazekage interrupted her thoughts, "there are two more similar artifacts hanging in another room. Let me show those to you, as they are equally impressive."

Before the following the Kazekage's retreating figure, Sakura shared a moment of silent communication with Neji, who she could tell wanted to protest what a pointless endeavor this would be. As they were led down the fine sable hallways inside the building complex, their host abruptly halted, and made an impatient "tut, tut" sound with his lips.

"How careless…I don't have the map I intended to bring on me. I'm sorry to trouble you both with a detour to the gallery where I must have left it."

The gallery turned out to be a long, narrow stretch of room that more resembled an expansive corridor with doors at opposite north and south ends. The room was lined with picturesque drawings of local landscape. At least it took a decent amount of talent to transform uniform piles of sand into something aesthetically pleasing.

Upon entering, the Kazekage called over a woman who was dressed in attendant robes of pristine white. The veiled attendant approached gracefully after giving a slight customary bow to the shinobi.

"Arisa, could you go to tell Baki and Yasu that we will be meeting tonight in the ceremonies room? Have word sent to the two Leaf shinobi as well."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

While Arisa made her way solemnly to the south door, the Kazekage proceeded to pick up a detailed, sheet-sized map that was lying on a side table.

"Here it is, now shall we join the oth—"

The strident, interrupting bang of a door slamming shut startled all three shinobi, who immediately went on alert. With wild eyes, the Kazekage spun frantically around to stare into the blank, topaz eyes of his attendant, who now stood defiantly in front of the closed door.

"W-what, Arisa, what is the meaning of this?"

Without speaking, the woman reached into her robes and drew out a glistening kunai that she brought into a clearly offensive position beside her hidden face.

"You were never my Kazekage," she bit out coldly, just before the door behind her crashed to the ground, revealing the concerned faces of Kakashi and Lee.

The cry of warning came from both Neji and Lee, while the latter immediately leaped forward, catching the kunai firmly in his grip before it was even halfway across the stretched expanse of chamber. Neji, on the other hand, swiftly moved to place himself directly behind Arisa, and disabled her with a severe strike to the base of the skull.

Kakashi responded by converting to a battle-ready mindset. In one practiced motion, he had lifted his forehead protector away from his Sharingan, and now scanned all dimensions of the wide corridor for signs of attack. He started at the sound of another door being flung open, and saw the Kazekage's customary bodyguards emerge from the entrance at the far end.

Both Baki and Yasu moved themselves defensively in front of the Kazekage, shielding him from any possible attacks. Neji, along with Sakura, chose to uphold their positions at opposite ends of the hall.

Everyone was on full alert when the pair of assassins appeared, dropping gracefully from the high rafters where the shadows combining with their black attire had provided them refuge. They turned their cloth-enveloped faces towards the ill concealed location of the Sand Village leader. With sharpened kunai in their hands, the two raced forward swiftly, fully intent on reaching their target.

Neji, who placed himself directly in the assassins' path, soon halted the shorter, slighter individual of the two.

"Fight me first," he stated coldly, crouching marginally lower in preparation to engage the opponent.

While those two clashed in frenzy of skilled taijutsu, the other assailant made a mad dash for the Kazekage's location with Sakura gaining at his heels. Kakashi and Lee followed closely behind, though the Jounin held off a full burst of speed purposely, wanting to see how the Sand shinobi would respond to this little infraction.

Sakura had flung a pair of shuriken at the assassin, who promptly dodged the projectiles by swerving slightly to the right, but continued towards his objective. The kunoichi was about to launch a ninjutsu attack, when suddenly she saw a tan blur shoot forward into the assassin's course.

Yasu abruptly materialized in front of the assailant, delivering the individual a powerful punch to the gut.

The assassin staggered several steps backwards, but then charged again, this time aiming his weapons for the shinobi who was blocking his way.

Sakura watched in slight awe as the Sand Jounin disarmed the assassin, his movements all performed with a precise measure of finesse as he knocked the kunai out of the other shinobi's hands. He had the assailant in an unyielding headlock that was quickly followed with a critical blow to his victim's lungs

Gurgling through a mouthful of blood, the injured assassin fell onto his back, while managing a choked, "Abort, dammit, run!"

He was effectively silenced when Yasu drew his leg back and executed a swift, downwards kick that crushed the other man's neck.

Catching sight of her partner's gruesome death, the other assassin let out a shriek of outrage, while continuing her heated clash with Neji. Suddenly reaching into her sleeve, the assailant pulled out a smoke bomb, which she hurriedly dashed onto the ground.

The resulting mass of smoke provided the cover for an escape, and the assassin capitalized on the opportunity. Though the gray clouds, Sakura could barely register the assailant's retreating form, and raced after her unhesitatingly. The ANBU operative followed as the other leapt upwards back towards the rafters, and then leaped for one of the high windows.

Charging out into the night after the assassin, Sakura found herself on the rooftop of the building, and made out the escaping black form. She was not alone in her pursuit though, for as she raced along the clattering roof tiles, the kunoichi saw another figure leap out from one of the windows, only to speed past her in a brown blur after the assassin. It was Yasu.

"HEY, wait up!"

She tried calling after him, since it made sense to regroup and go after the assassin who was still armed and judging from her bout with Neji, a more than adequate fighter. Her call went unheeded, as the Sand shinobi soon disappeared completely from her line of vision.

* * *

The luminous light reflecting off the pale lines of leveled sand dunes guided him towards the fleeing assailant. Though the assassin traveled fast, she was not fast enough to be able to shake him off, nor did she flee swiftly enough to exorcise the light trail of foot imprints etched into the smooth ground. Those…he was able to follow.

A subtle change in air currents alerted him to the presence coming in from behind that was gaining on him. Only the steps were too heavy to be those of the kunoichi from earlier. Seconds later, the person had caught up to his vigorous pace, and with a hasty explosion of speed, landed firmly beside him as Yasu stopped dead in his tracks.

"I will go after the assassin," came the grave voice of Baki, "you are not as familiar with these lands as I am. One of us should be protecting Kazekage-sama."

"Hm,"

Without even a glance at the other man, Yasu gave a rather contemptuous sniff before spinning on his heel and tearing back towards the residential complex as swiftly as before.

_Son of a bitch. . ._

Not wasting any more of his own time, Baki pushed away his potent disgust and took off in the opposite direction at a newly set pace.

* * *

With tickling beads of sweat trailing down onto the tip of her nose, Sakura continued her stubborn pursuit of the assassin and Yasu, who were both well ahead of her. She may have lost sight of him long ago, but the trail left behind by both of them was still barely discernible. Strangely enough, she felt driven to catch up with the assassin, if for nothing else than to ask why she wanted to claim the life of a man who appeared to have done so much for his village.

Her energy was rapidly dissipating, since she must have given pursuit for a good twenty minutes that had taken her up to the Sand village's border. Looming up ahead was the dilapidated shape of what looked to be a long abandoned outpost. All that remained were the crumbling walls of the roofless building, which probably housed a teeming number of desert critters.

The traveling sounds of voices caused Sakura to revert to stealth mode, as she quickly lightened her steps and once close enough, pressed her torso flat against the grainy surface of a collapsing wall that bit into her left cheek.

"It was poorly planned, Arisa should have predicted the elapsed time would not be enough—"

That was Baki. . .only what in the seven hells was he doing here?

"We were too hasty."

The female voice that replied sounded weary if anything, as though she bore the weight of the whole world on frail shoulders.

Summoning trace amounts of chakra to her fingertips, Sakura dug her fingers firmly into the earthen material of the wall, and pulled herself high enough to peek over the edge. Her breaths came in small pants that further dried her already parched lips.

Baki was indeed there, only he was standing directly beside the darkly garbed figure of the female assassin, who had pulled off the cloth that had previously enveloped her head, revealing lush amounts of golden tresses pulled into collective bunches.

I know this woman. . . 

"He killed him. . .he fucking killed him, a boy who hadn't even reached his second decade. . . "

"Temari, you cannot blame yourself for Hiro's death."

"I promised his father that I would take care of him,"

So it was her then, the renowned kunoichi from the Sand; daughter of the previous Kazekage and half-sister to Gaara of the Desert. Sakura noiselessly ducked back down behind the barrier of the wall. The intricacy of the situation at play caused her to tremble involuntarily, as she momentarily lost concentration over her chakra output.

"There is someone else here,"

She started at Baki's cold declaration, before closing her eyes in concentration to summon a last desperate burst of energy. She licked her lips and took off as though demons were chasing her; only the last ditch still wasn't sufficient since Baki intercepted her mere seconds later. His expression was one of a ruthless hunter who had cornered his prey after a long, thrilling hunt when he planted himself boldly before her.

"Is the little bird from Konoha lost?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Wow, that might have been my first actual cliffhanger…Yes, so I was planning to have this chapter out much sooner, but against better judgment I went on vacation. Yeah, so wrong of me to be indulging my glutinous self when my readers have no chapter…okay, feeling really bad here. But the up side to all this is that I've been working on aligning the events of chapters 5, 6, and 7, so the next two chapters are just about ready to go. Expect chap.6 to be out within a week, and 7 soon after that. Reviews are great, so thanks!

**Review Responses:**

QuasiAngel: Oh, it's great to hear that I haven't botched up by delaying Naruto's entry into this story! All the loads of support you've given me so far have been awesome. Thank you tons!

Sailor Tiamat: Hey again! Gotta love Sakura and the forehead jokes, dontcha? Hope you liked this chapter!

MoonPhoenix: Surprisingly, writing isn't stressful. Working on this fic is a great way to relax for me Thanks for the compliment.

Winds: I'm so glad that reading this story has been an enjoyment to ya. I'll be working on this story for the next while, since I fully intend to finish this lil monster. Hope to see ya around!

Jewel Song: Wow, you realize how happy it makes me to hear someone loves this fic that much? And I got one thing I must say to you: WRITE! You have Naruto fics that you've written? You must post them! And you gotta write a KakaSaku, since we always need more KakaSaku love and support in the fandom. If you need someone to take a look at them, I'd be more than willing to cuz I believe they have to be excellent. Again, thanks for your support!

Bronwen Stx: Lol, yay for the quotes! Your compliments flatter me to no end, and yes, I love working on this fic. Kakashi/Sakura forever, right? Now to steer them away from the river denial…Hope you like this chapter here, and the next chapters will be out soon!

EmptySanity: Thanks for the vote on how the KakaSaku relationship is progressing. I really can't see them jumping right into a relationship, given who they are. But the foundation for a passionate liaison is definitely there! Here's chap. 5 for ya!

Tea Leaf: Mucho thanks for the compliments! I must check out your writings, since it's obvious that you're one of those completely modest people out there .

akasume: Will do! Here's the next chapter for ya.

Fruit-tea1: thump K, that was the sound of me falling over from your onslaught of compliments. Yes, KakaSaku forever! Hope you liked this chapter here!

shimmer: Yes, you gotta love the internal conflict that Kakashi's facing, eh? Thanks for your support!

I Glomp Bishounen: Yes you are, you are very worthy :) Hope ya liked this chapter!

Anime Lance: Whoa, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence! Here's the update, and the next chapters are coming soon!

SailorPenguinz: Oh yeah, another KakaSaku supporter! Your support warms and lights me up like a glow bug, er or something like that. I'll try to keep my chapters long as sanely possible for me. Hope you enjoy the coming chapters!

Kenhime: You know, reading your reviews rates right up there with getting a back rub It just makes you feel good, especially after sitting after the computer desk for extended periods :P I'm glad you liked the intervention of Sakura's "tutor". Hope your exam went well for ya. And yes, converting the Naruto fandom into KakaSaku fans is my mission in life. And we have not seen the last of Kakashi's Come Come Paradise collection. Hehe, no need for incense sticks. After this little, er, delay, the chapters will be coming out speedily!

Katsuhito Sage: Lol, I hope I can write kick-butt action! Yes, exams are a dark time, but hopefully those went well for you! And yes, Neji can be adorable :P Hope you liked this chapter!

Demeter1: Your support will be the reserve artillery I pull out on those days when I'm loathe to face my word processor. It's great to know that their relationship is progressing at a believable pace. Neji and Lee are great, aren't they ? It takes a lot to gain a shred of ol' Neji's respect. Thanks again to ya!

Mikazuki1: Always love hearing from ya! And you know…I had the hardest time coming up with just the right mask for Neji. I was leaning towards a fox/otter/badger/rabbit mutation. And then I found the idea of Neji wearing a hamster mask amusing to no end So what can I say…I'll let you decide what you'd want his mask to be, since I'm obviously as confused as the characters :P

La Perle: Thanks so much for the awesome compliments! It's great to know I'm actually engaging the readers to some degree. Kakashi and Neji are just the perfect pair of troopers, aren't they? And yes, there will be more reflection of Sakura's part as the story progresses. Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter!

bishonennomiko: Wow, that's really interesting to know about the ellipses. It never even really occurred to me since my comp doesn't point it out, so I skim right by…it probably would have benefited to take first year english :P Kudos to ya for taking the trouble of explaining all that. About Neji's mask, yes, the truth is that I really couldn't decide what to stick him with. It's some combination of a stout/fox/badger/rabbit/hamster. Lol, let your imagination decide. And yes, Sakura's attitude towards Kakashi is indeed conflicting. A part of her wants him to take his old role as team sensei, while the older, more experienced part of her is understandably wary of his potential influence on her. Kakashi is definitely someone who inspires awe from her. Speculation is good! Thanks for all your support, and I loved the KakaSaku pics. I can never seem to find any, even after dragging myself across scripted Japanese sites. So huge thanks there!

Cha-chan: Thank you for your awesome comments! Chapter 2 is appearing on my browser, so maybe you need to have the most update version of your browser? I've uploaded it again just in case tho. Hope that helps!

fanartist: Yes, yay for KakaSaku! And yeah, mental degeneration explains everything!

fo-feah: Thanks a lot! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Amerie: No, thank YOU for the loveable support! It's great to know I've kept them all in-character. Here's the next chapter for ya!

LadyWindElf: Yes, Kakashi and Sakura do make a great pair, don't they? Everything should be explained in time, and yes, here's chap.5!

Girl-chama: Wow, I hope you're enjoying your trip through the Naruto fandom. And thanks for the support! Yes, the plot is really going and I'm cackling the whole way! Yes, Kakashi as a pedophile scares me as well. As for the cloaked figure…seeing as how it's someone that Sakura should never had met before and his face was hidden, technically she wouldn't have been able to recognize him. Hope that helps, and thanks again!

randomEdwarD: Oh man, Neji-jiji is hilarious! It suits the little bugger perfectly, doesn't it? Only the sad thing is, if Neji does ever get up on a soap box to start preaching, I'd probably be there listening to him :P Thanks for the support, and KakaSaku forever!

Dragonflyelj: Ah ha, another Sakura fan! Yeah, Kakashi and Sakura are just such a promising pair, correcto? Hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and the following ones! Thanks for the review!

MaidenInTheMoon: Ack, thanks for the mucho lovely comments! And oh man, what happened to you is absolutely hilarious! I probably should have added as a side-note that gyoza is theoretically a Japanese metamorphosis or potstickers, usually deep-fried. And Sakura's trainer…soon to be revealed! Hope to see ya around for the next chapters!

Y.Seta: Woot, you've written a KakaSaku! Awesome, I'll be checking it out as soon as I can! Thanks for your support there, and KakaSaku kicks!

Magdalena: Wow, totally flushing from your compliment! I will be keeping this rolling, so thanks and I'll see ya next update!

MNK =-=: Oh yeah, meeting more KakaSaku supporters just totally makes my day. Hope you liked this chapter, and yep, the next ones will be coming real soon!

kookey: Thanks for the support! Glad to know that the humor adds to things, other than providing me with amusement. Yep, this will definitely be continued and finished, so I hope you stick around!


	6. The One Behind the Mask

**Author's Notes: **

Major thanks and apologies to those who took the time to point out flaws with the last chapter. That will be last time I post without doing some thorough editing. I think I may have been intimidated somewhat by the chapter length o.O As always, the reviews mean a lot to little ol' me, so thanks everyone!

**Disclaimer: **

See Chapter 1.

* * *

"Heh, you know, I was just thinking about how I may be lost . . ."

Her voice sounded uncharacteristically shaky even to her own ears. While pasting a parody of her usually confident smile to her face, Sakura mentally ran through an inventory checklist.

_Two kunai, couple more shuriken, shit, I didn't attach my senbon pouch tonight._

She was just a bit poorly prepared as far as weapons went, so it looked like relying on her wits would be the way to go. The night chill combined with Baki's fierce expression in causing a plethora of goose bumps to swell across her cold skin.

"So, did you see where the assassin went?"

The kunoichi's bright look of genuine curiosity caused Baki's glower to falter ever so slightly, before he renewed his advance with suspiciously narrowed eyes.

"You didn't see anything . . . did you?"

Sakura shook her head fervently, while the familiar weight of her braid brushed against the slight curve of her back.

"She zipped right past me, same with that Yasu guy. Er, we should probably be getting back now that he's on it."

As though sensing that the Leaf shinobi was dying to inch away from him, Baki purposely moved so that each forward step of his mirrored her retreat backwards. Better to finish it here, he thought, where he could conveniently dispose of her body in some corner of the abandoned outpost making it look like the work of the "assassin".

"Yes, we should be returning. After you,"

Resisting the urge to brush the sweat off her brow, Sakura was more than ready to turn and bolt. Only as she moved and caught sight of the Sand Jounin's anticipatory leer, her blood grew cold once again.

_That jerk . . . he's got another thing coming if he thinks I'll present him with an unguarded back. _

"But I don't remember how I got here," she protested with a helpless shrug of her shoulders, "let alone figure out how to get back."

The other shinobi's face visibly darkened, as he extended a finger forward as though to point at a distant object over Sakura's shoulder.

"Baki, no."

The voice rang out with undisputed authority, severe enough to draw both Baki and Sakura's focus towards the speaker.

Temari, still clothed her midnight black garb, stood closer to them than her voice had given away. Sharp azure eyes were fixed commandingly on Baki, as she addressed him once again in that no-nonsense tone.

"Leave her, we don't need to involve the Leaf Village."

"So you say," the other growled, "but what if they make it their business to intervene?"

"I'm still here you know,"

Sakura looked between the two Sand shinobi who were wearing drastically differently expressions. Baki seemed a click away from reaching over and breaking her neck, while Temari was regarding her steadily as though waiting to see if she would immediately flee. With her lips pulled into a tight smile that aimed for appeasement, Sakura met the older kunoichi's gaze challengingly, bent on betraying none of the uncertainty she felt. It appeared as though appealing to the golden-haired young woman was the correct approaching if she wanted information.

"Look, I may not be exactly clear on what's going on here, but I witnessed an attempt on the Kazekage's life tonight. And in my books, that's a pretty grave offence against your own village."

Temari's cool gaze remained unchanging throughout the length of Sakura's self-righteous declaration. At length, she only snorted disdainfully in a dismissive way that made the other kunoichi bristle.

"Don't bring up such loaded ideas about something you couldn't possibly understand."

She turned as if to leave, only pausing to provide Baki with some last instructions.

"If she breathes a word of tonight's events, kill her along with the entire Leaf delegation."

The Sand Jounin nodded gravely, though his wary countenance revealed that he was still much in favour of terminating the eavesdropper right then and there.

"Wait,"

The beseeching word caused Temari to redirect her gaze back towards Sakura, who may as well have been fuming at the ears. Gone were the previously tentative eyes that had now hardened into glittering jewels that demanded attention.

"You don't need to threaten me into cooperating," she spat out distastefully, "none of the Leaf shinobi here are blind."

Her tone gradually softened to one that was more entreating.

"We can all tell that something seems off about the situation here. Tell us what's going on, why you want the Kazekage dead, and maybe we can reach agreement."

She waited eagerly for the other's response, since it all sounded rational enough to her. Whatever she had been expecting though, did not include having the Sand kunoichi suddenly burst into peals of amused laughter.

"Whatever makes you think you're worthy enough to strike an agreement with?"

Temari made an exaggerated gesture of wiping away several tears of mirth from the corner of her eye.

"Leaf shinobi . . . always have such inflated opinions of themselves . . ."

Swiftly, she made her departure before Sakura could indignantly protest that last comment. While the remaining kunoichi cursed colourfully under her breath, Baki approached her with renewed purpose, his original intent still fresh on his mind

_She will be angry, but it will be for the best that I neglect her orders this time._

Sakura could almost see the tangible waves of murderous intent radiating off his person. It seemed that she was back exactly where she had been ten minutes ago.

"Trust me, Baki, you really don't need Konoha as a potential enemy with the way things are looking for your group."

"That won't be of any concern, unless you can send your lamenting ghost back to Tsunade."

"No," she stated firmly, "I won't be doing that. But let's see you explain my sudden, mysterious death to my two buddies over there."

She pointed behind him, where to his immense bewilderment, stood Neji and Lee only paces away. Both waved to Sakura, the deep green of their uniforms standing out under the silvery moonlight.

"So I'll keep my mouth shut if you do likewise," Sakura suggested in a light tone, before heading off towards her companions.

Baki's mind could only register buzzing shock as he took a second to ponder this unexpected turn of events. He came quickly back to his senses though, and the sight greeting his panicked eyes was one of the coral-haired kunoichi rapidly escaping with two other Leaf shinobi.

_No . . ._

He cried out mentally and gave heated pursuit, determined to take down the kunoichi by any means necessary. It if meant he would have to sacrifice himself in the process, then so be it.

With a final push, he was within range of grabbing Sakura by the tail of her long, wildly swishing braid. Grinning victoriously, he lunged for her, only to have his hand fall through at the barest touch of her immaterial form. He finally understood what had happened when all that remained for him to clutch onto were scattered wisps of smoke.

_That conniving little bitch . . ._

* * *

After running as far as they dared to without stopping, the figures of Neji and Lee halted for a quick breather. Or rather, "Neji" stopped to ease the pounding inferno that was his heart. Lee, at the command of his conjurer, disappeared completely with a small resounding pop.

_Release henge._

Dropping her temporary guise, Sakura took the precious opportunity to lick her dry, cracked lips before resuming her race back towards the administrative building. As she bounded along, the rapidly approaching sound of swift movements from behind alerted her to the face that someone was gaining on her position.

_Damn, that louse sure caught up fast._

She wasn't sure if she had the remaining energy or strength to perform a ninjutsu attack. But as the sound of her pursuer's steps fell almost right behind hers, Sakura cocked her wrist back to jut out the heel of her hand, and set herself on turning around and shoving Baki's nose halfway up his head.

She whipped around as planned, giving a determined yell as her hand swung forward to connect with the other's face. The kunoichi soon realized her mistake, as she could see no nose for her to strike. In fact, there was nothing she could readily see except for a stunned-looking eye and a messy head of flyaway silver hair. Luckily she didn't completely follow through with the motion, and Kakashi was able to catch her wrist before she struck him.

With an exhausted groan, Sakura flopped down lifelessly onto her back; she could care less that the coarse sand she laid upon wasn't the most tender of materials against her skin.

"That . . . was wheeze . . . close . . ."

She stared up unblinkingly at the starry canvas overhead, mesmerized by how the minute lights blurred in and out of focus. The sudden intrusion of a large hand into the scenic picture startled her, though she continued to lie motionlessly and stared at the gloved appendage dumbly. Finally, she grasped Kakashi's offered hand, and he pulled her smoothly to her feet.

"So you found me pretty easily," she commented while fervently dusting off her sleeves and pants.

"Well, it was all thanks to this little guy here."

Kakashi reached down to grab something by his feet, and much to Sakura's surprise, hoisted up a roly-poly brown ball of fur by the collar.

"Pakkun!"

It had been such a long time since she'd seen the "Ra Ra, go team!" dog that had guided her and Naruto in chasing after Sasuke during the Sand/Sound invasion. Pakkun stared back with his usually tired looking eyes, and yawned.

"The little girl doesn't look so little anymore,"

Sakura had reached over to hook her hands Pakkun's stubby front legs, and now cradled his plump little body gleefully to hers.

"Course not, but you're still as tiny as ever. So how did you track me?"

"Easily. Don't forget, we have a lot in common . . . didn't I tell you that was one of my favourite scents?"

Sakura's ecstatic smile faded several watts, as she suddenly realized how exactly Pakkun must have followed her. Or specifically, what scent he had used.

"Really Pakkun, you never told me about this. What scent, huh?"

Before the dog could reply to Kakashi's question, Sakura had quickly slapped a hand over the petite creature's mouth, as she forced a fake smile towards the Jounin. She would rather face the combined terrors of Orochimaru's Manda, Jiraiya's Gamabunta, and Tsunade's Katsuyu before admitting to her former sensei that she used the same shampoo as his dog.

_Why did you not remember to change brands after that? Baka!_

Inner Sakura's reaction was immediate and rather vehement.

"Pakkun just loves my perfume, dontcha puppy?"

For the dog's ears only, she hissed a menacing, "Not a word . . ."

"Hm, it'll cost ya."

"How much?"

"Say at least a month's supply of those doggie treats I love,"

"Done, but you say anything and you're a dead dog."

She mouthed the last bit before resuming her previously bright grin. That is, until Pakkun sharply bit the hand that was still preventing him from using verbal communication beyond muffled woofs.

Kakashi watched Sakura's startled cry of pain and her ensuing admonishment of the bored looking animal with more than a little curiosity. They must have been a lot chummier during their brief mission together than he thought.

"Did you catch up to the assassin?"

The sudden, but expected question stopped Sakura mid-rant, as she bent down to gently deposit Pakkun onto the ground. The dog instantly disappeared with in a small cloud of smoke. Yes, she had seen the assassin, and so much more. So much that Baki had deemed it necessary for her to die. As things went, she was obligated to report what she knew as a member of her team, only what then? There was nothing concrete, and the more people that knew about the situation, the more potential danger there was.

Only deep down, the taunting voice of her inner self piped up that all those reasons weren't what really gave her pause. From somewhere, Temari's voice replaced that of inner Sakura.

_"What makes you think you're worthy enough to strike an agreement with?"_

Maybe it was her hurt pride that was still smarting, combined with her desire to get to the bottom of the situation on her own and prove to Temari that she wasn't someone who would back down at her command. And so long as she hadn't revealed Temari and Baki's secret to the rest of her group, her silence could be used as a potential bargaining chip with them. She had a strong tingling sense that there was more going than Temari had let on.

So instead she smiled reassuringly at Kakashi and absently tried to sort out the dishevelled strands of her hair.

"I lost her somewhere back there. But the Sand Jounin called Yasu was on her trail."

The untruthful words came so easily, that it almost scared her.

"Oh, okay no worries then. Better to leave this whole thing for the Kazekage's people to deal with anyways."

Kakashi gave her a final glance over, as though checking for any visible injuries. To be perfectly honest, he had prepared a long reprimand for the young woman while he was hot on her trail. The cold wash of fear that overcame him when the gallery had cleared to reveal Sakura's disappearance had disturbed Kakashi greatly. Only whatever harsh words he had prepared for her, they died a faster death than Gai's modesty ever did in the face of their eternal rivalry when he saw her state of exhaustion.

Satisfied that there was nothing bothering her, Kakashi wiped his own hand on his pant leg, where the index finger had been cut to do the summoning.

"Um, don't you have a band-aid or something?"

He looked at her as though she were joking.

"No?"

With a roll of her eyes, Sakura reached into the chest pocket of her vest, and pulled out a white handkerchief.

"Here," she said, tossing it to him, "at least stop the bleeding."

"Aren't you going to bandage it for me?" Kakashi kidded with a mischievous wink.

_You're not Sasuke_, she almost retorted, but caught herself as the truth of the matter settled in. She realized it didn't matter if he wasn't Sasuke; she would have helped him wrap that little cut. She wasn't sure why, but she did know that if she ever did admit it to him, she would never live it down.

"Just suck on it or something," she shot back with an impish smirk, "you big baby."

Kakashi stared down at his finger, before shrugging in response.

"Good idea," he told her, and brought the bleeding finger up to his covered mouth all the while watching for her reaction.

"Eeek, Kakashi I was kidding! Ew, no, don't put your mouth- Ack, I'm leaving!"

* * *

Neji and Lee's reactions to Sakura's recount of events were pretty much on par with Kakashi's. There had been momentary chaos throughout the building after the assassin escaped, as around twenty Sand shinobi had poured into the gallery, forming a human barrier around the Kazekage. Only according to Lee, this did not have the intended effect of reassuring the Kazekage, who began yelling at the top of his lungs for the two bodyguards that seemed to have abandoned him.

Apparently the scene must have been quite hilarious, for even Neji was hard put to contain the slight twitching of his mouth that came with Lee's description.

"At least now we know you weren't kidding about the situation being flaky. . ."

Without any major disruptions, the next couple of days saw the uneventful continuation of talks. The assassination attempt had been passed off by the Kazekage as an "anomalous incident", one that had been committed no doubt by some dissatisfied locals.

All the same, Kakashi noticed how the young man's eyes would dart about nervously during their discussions.

Sakura, however, was enjoying a relatively uncomfortable time at the meeting table since she wasn't completely immune to the arsenal of death glares Baki kept sending her way. Eventually others noticed, and Lee even made a point of it to sit beside his teammate so that his body would always be partially shielding her from Baki's angle.

This behaviour puzzled the Copy Ninja, and caused an almost blazing desire to pummel the Sand Jounin. Whatever was causing the immense dislike, apparently Sakura knew nothing about it.

The talks themselves had become entirely pointless as far as Kakashi was concerned. They had basically come to the conclusion that the Sand Village had no intention of annexing any neighbouring countries, and in fact the shinobi that were frequenting the borders were there for the purpose of completing missions or advanced training.

The Leaf delegation certainly hadn't gathered any information that could prove the Sand Village had other motives, which was part of the reason why Kakashi was currently strolling through the local streets in hopes of picking up some info from random civilians. Only even though he had forgone the identifiable forehead protector, the people still gave him wide berth.

_Probably the facemask_, he justified to himself.

As he turned a sharp corner into one of the smaller alleys, Kakashi narrowly missed colliding into a middle-aged, blonde man who was carrying an armload of fresh fruit. The slight bump that did occur unbalanced the villager enough to spill the produce that now rolled haphazardly across the ground.

Kakashi crouched down and at once began helping to reassemble the scattered goods. Only as he did so, the other man moved ever so slightly closer so that his mouth was beside the Leaf shinobi's ear.

"Wind and fire were never compatible," he whispered hurriedly, "but what lies within the sand also threatens the vitality of the leaves. My superiors want to meet with you. Nine, tonight, 2.3 miles south of Northwest lookout tower."

After delivering the message, the civilian quickly gathered what fallen fruit was within his immediate reach, and scurried off down the alleyway.

Kakashi remained crouching on the ground, his silver brows furrowed in deep thought as bypassing spectators eyed both him and the ring of scattered fruit around him strangely. He was considering whether to satisfy his own curiosity, and whether or not to bring backup. The message had specified only him, but how safe would that be? Or was this merely some ploy of the Kazekage's?

_Only one way to find out, isn't there?_

He stood up, ignoring the mess that was left behind, and walked away briskly to continue his task to see if he could discover anything insightful before the scheduled appointment. His behaviour right then would certainly have scared all those who were familiar with his reputation.

* * *

Intent on changing out of her ANBU uniform, Sakura kept her steps soft and measured as she headed back towards the Leaf quarters to meet up with the others. Her investigation of her assigned location had been relatively unrewarding: the Academy was just that and nothing more. It had been very strange to wander through hallways with classrooms exactly like the ones in her village. And the students, they may as well have been Leaf children if it wasn't for the subtle differences in their clothing.

As she prepared to turn the corner into the residential portion of the building, the kunoichi caught sight of a bulky shape making its way quickly towards another set of double doors. The man was Baki no doubt, and he was striding purposely to the entrance of the general meeting room.

Slipping her ANBU mask carefully over her face, Sakura felt compelled to noiselessly follow and observe him from afar. She had learned nothing of Temari and his motivations these past few days, and it was driving her mad inside. There was also the indisputable fact that he had less than innocent intentions towards his Kazekage. And a dead Sand Village leader on their hands wouldn't look so great on their report to Tsunade.

The Sand Jounin, who had reached his destination, seemed to pause hesitatingly in front of the heavy doors before pushing them open and marching inside.

After he disappeared, Sakura took immediate action and dashed upstairs straight for her quarters. Luckily, none of the others had returned from their assignments, so she was free to proceed with her plans. Judging that Kakashi's room would be closest to her target point, she rushed into the Copy Ninja's generous room and started unsealing window panel.

Task accomplished, Sakura slid the glass barrier aside and slipped out, mindful of the narrow ledge that she would have to balance on. She moved sideways, with her back pressed evenly into the side of the building, as she inched her way over.

_Four, five . . . six. _

Bypassing six windows, the ANBU found herself directly above the one the led into the meeting room. Nodding to herself, she unclasped a spool of sturdy wire that hung at her waist and nailed it into the wall using a kunai. She then pulled out a good amount of the thin material, looped it twice about her left wrist and tied it in place. With the metallic filament wrapped securely about her, Sakura tugged several times to test the tension.

When she was at last content with the hold, she stepped lightly off the ledge, and gradually lowered herself down until she was directly in front of the desired window.

The window was in a high corner of the room, so as Sakura peeked pryingly inside, the occupants failed to notice her. Much to her elation, the window before her was wide open and not entirely sealed off like the typical clear domes that adorned regular rooms.

Inside, she could see Baki standing in a rigid half-bow before the Kazekage, whose back was turned to him. Both remained silent, until at length, the Kazekage shook his head slowly.

"I can't help but think that you no longer place my safety as such a high priority as you used to."

"That's not true," the other replied without much facial animation, "your safety is my first responsibility."

"Then why haven't you taken care of the rebel faction leaders yet? It has been months and they grow bolder with time!"

"Kazekage-sama . . ."

_The man's shaking!_

It was almost unnoticeable with his unwavering stance and tone, but Sakura had been one of the brightest in her class due to her remarkable memory and keen sense of acuity that could be employed. And now it was evident to her that the man's body was overcome by tiny tremors that even reached his tautly clenched face; Baki was shivering in his resolution, giving off a sharp note of fear or uncertainty.

But what struck her as odd was that the source of all his distress didn't seem to be the Kazekage himself, as the Sand shinobi's eyes kept flitting expectantly to the side whenever given the chance.

"I will tell you that your progress has been disappointing," the Kazekage told him threateningly, "I expect results and soon."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

Baki bowed lowly once more before walking away stiffly and quitting the room.

"I really don't know what to do with him, he's such an useless oaf!"

The Kazekage appeared completely unconcerned with hiding his revulsion as he turned around.

"Ah, but our Baki has his uses," someone pointed out pleasantly from the other side of the room.

Sakura swung her attention over, and was momentarily struck dumb as she glimpsed a snatch of silver hair. As her eyes picked up more of the person, she was able to process the sight of Yakushi Kabuto seated comfortably in a high-back chair, looking for all the world like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. She had learnt of his true identity as a spy for the Sound Village from Naruto, who had also related Kabuto's role in the battle between the three Legendary Leaf-nins.

She now felt an intense amount of stinging dislike for this man who had pretended to be so amicable towards her team. He was playing with a shiny object in his hand and listening with a half attentive ear to the Kazekage, who went on complaining about how the situation was becoming too dangerous for him.

"You have to do something," he whined, "these rebels are becoming a real problem."

"I thought you would be able to handle this," the other young man noted with an affable smile.

"Yes, but it's getting out of hand! Wait, maybe I should negotiate to have the Leaf shinobi help us weed those pests out . . ."

Kabuto, who had seemed agreeable enough to the untrained eye, now shot the   
Sand Village leader a dangerous look.

"I hope you realize that I picked you because of your charismatic exterior and superior acting skills. Definitely not for you diplomatic capabilities-"

"No, of course," the other quickly amended, "we will do what you think is best."

The former spy returned to his previously engaging smile.

"I think we will start by finding out who has been hovering precariously outside that window there."

Without any further warning, Kabuto flung the surgical knife he was toying with over his shoulder, and waited with tacit patience for the impact.

Sakura had enough time to swing her body to the side and avoided any direct cuts. But the diminutive blade in turn caught the fine material of her line, and sliced clean through the wire.

As she began her death drop, the kunoichi tried to summon enough chakra to her fingertips so that she could rely on that and cling to the building. While she frantically attempted that option, she also hoped to decelerate her rapid descent by grabbing onto something. Only she failed to do so, and as a result, her right arm was dragged painfully down against the cement surface.

Just when she was about to cry out from the multiple cuts along her skin, Sakura's fall suddenly came to an abrupt stop with a sharp upwards jerk. Someone began pulling her up by the remaining length of wire still tied to her arm.

_Busted_. . .was her first coherent thought after the initial overwhelming relief that had gripped her. But she would rather face a Sand shinobi any day instead of the hard ground five floors later.

Steeling herself to face her "rescuer", the ANBU felt a strong hand grab onto her arm and lift her easily up while pressing the intact end of the wire into her palm. The actions stopped Sakura from hostilely confronting the individual, but she was still ready to deliver him or her a lethal blow if necessary. Only as she raised her head to deal with the person, the kunoichi found herself looking at her own reflection in a pair of black shades.

While hanging onto the proverbial lifeline, Sakura opened her mouth to thank Yasu, but the other instantly pressed a finger over his lips and shook his head. They were right beside the window; the Kazekage and Kabuto would inevitably hear any spoken words.

Yasu was using chakra to adhere himself to the building, something that Sakura had considered doing but abandoned after considering the energy it would cost her. With a final glance in her direction, the Sand Jounin slid over until he was hanging directly in front of the window, and deftly swung himself inside. Sakura wanted to call to him, but he was already gone. Instead, she used her free hand to unsheathe her sword from her back, and manoeuvred the blade's reflective surface to observe what was happening inside the room.

"Gods," came the Kazekage's exclamation as Yasu landed within, "it was you! Why can't you use a door like a normal person?!"

The other man paid him no heed, and walked assertively over towards where Kabuto was seated.

"Don't yell at me," was all he said in a deceptively quiet tone that belied all the underlying comfort of a sharpened icicle.

Sakura froze in her spot. The long blade of her sword quivered as her hand shook involuntarily.

_That voice . . . that **voice**! But it's all wrong-_

"But our own dear Uchiha would never settle for just being 'ordinary'."

Kabuto was grinning expectantly at the Sand Jounin, who was currently unwrapping the white cloth that had bound his head. When the long length of material at last came off, sleek ebony locks tumbled free from the constraint and arranged into a familiar chin-length style. The shinobi then removed his shades and tossed them carelessly onto the desk beside Kabuto.

"Isn't that right . . . Sasuke?"

Without acknowledging the question, the young man calmly reached a hand towards his face, and in one sharp motion ripped off his mask to reveal a face that though changed, was still enough to bring back vivid images of the past. The flurry of scenes converged to temporarily shatter Sakura's hold on reality.

_"From here on out . . . we all begin new paths . . ."_

_"Please just stay with me!"_

_"Sakura . . . thank you."_

_"Please . . . the wish of my lifetime . . . please bring Sasuke-kun back."_

The building crescendo finally exploded into one perfect moment of crystalline clarity for her.

_. . .I've found him._

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So is this where I go dun, dun, dun...­and start running? And as far as KakaSaku relations go, what does everyone think? Will this be a step forward or backward? It'd be interesting to know. Yes, this chapter came out later than planned since I ran into some very annoying computer problems this weekend. I actually had to deliver my baby IMac to a buddy who actually knows what goes on beneath its flashy neon exterior. I just write, dude.

Chapter 7 was really exhilarating for me to write, and it's in the editing stage so expect it out soon, really. Let's just say that I'm ready to purchase an angst lifejacket for future use. Anyone got one they're willing to sell me?

**Review Responses: **

**Limewings:** Urk, I really didn't want to pull the cliffhanger bit, honest! Only if I went on, I shudder to think how long the last chapter would have been. And yes...­I'm in denial about this chapter ending with a cliffhanger as well :P There's also a little SasuSaku in me as well. Thanks for the review!

**prexus:** Wow, all the support...I'm speechless. Hope you liked this chapter!

**bishonennomiko:** I really appreciate all the time you put into reviewing and catching my slip-ups with regards to grammar. Yeah, the last chapter didn't go through as much editing as I hoped, and I definitely learned my lesson there. I'll be posting a revised copy sometime later, so thanks there. Mochi is conventionally made with glutinous rice and a red bean paste filling, but I have seen the ice cream versions out there. And having dessert for breakfast is unfortunately an all too common occurrence...­

Sakura and Kakashi's relationship is turning out to be remarkably complex. Sakura is somewhat wary about the potential role that Kakashi would play in her life. A part of her would like nothing better than to return to their old teacher-student relationship, but her more recent experience has proved to her that the bond there wasn't really solidified. This is the man who basically ditched her and Naruto for a month so that he could train Sasuke in private. And his absence thereafter has probably also proved to her that there is danger in relying completely on another person. When she needed support the most, ultimately it wasn't Kakashi who was there for her. But there's much more development to come, as always :PYes, I like the direction you're going with your suspicions! And throwing Akatsuki in there. . .I can't say too much to kill the plot, but you're definitely onto something there. But hopefully this chapter didn't maim the previous assumptions that you had .

You know I love the KakaSaku pics! Thanks ever so much, and I must've stared at my screen for five minutes in denial when one of the links you gave me didn't work. The fixed link made my day!

**Lady Light:** Thanks for the review! Yeah, there'll actually be quite a lot happening, insert evil laughter, hack, cough

**MaidenInTheMoon:** Lol, yeah I totally agree that Temari's a good kid at heart . Glad about your confidence in Sakura's abilities. Only as soon as she gets herself out of one bind, she finds herself in a bigger one sigh. The KakaSaku is definitely going to be there, only the development may have come to a bit of a standstill with the major reunion that going to happen with the next chapter. Thanks tons for the glomp-worthy support!

**Sailor Tiamat:** Thanks! The possibilities for forehead jokes are just endless, aren't they? I hope this chapter answered some of your questions about the Kazekage. And nah, I'm not keeping you all guessing, shifty-eyed look

**Mikazuki1:** You know what, I actually kind of think Kakashi may have been looking forward to a "damsel in distress" scenario with Sakura . Only things didn't really turn out that way...I'm really a menace, interfering with the education of others :P And seven readings...!!! I'm really not worthy. But for all your wonderful support I ambush you with huggles!

**Jewel Song:** Yes, write the KakaSaku! Lol, being just a little pushy there, forgive me? I'm sure you have what it takes to make it great! Gaara will be making a future appearance, only it may be very different from what most are expecting. And as for love triangles...I can sense the beginning of one very problematic one already, eh? Yay for tension is right! Hope this chapter was enjoyable for ya!

**Magdalena:** Wow, so I updated right on your birthday? Happy b-day to ya! It makes me tremendously happy knowing that you like what's building here, as random as it may seem at first. Yep, the KakaSaku is definitely building, only it may have just run into one large problem by the name of Uchiha Sasuke. Thanks for your support!

**fanartist:** Lol, your fic deserve a whole lot more than just that! My comp's back online, so I'll be checking your fic out later. And you have no reason to feel incompetent! Go, write! :P And I'll be getting off my soapbox now...

**Demeter1:** Temari is just one really fascinating and complex character, isn't she? I love writing her, and I honestly hope to do her justice. She'll be making more entrances with future chapters, as the plot continues. And yes, Sakura has the tendency to be a bit impulsive, doesn't she? Maybe a bit of Naruto rubbing off on her?

Omigosh, I would kill to see a work of fanart featuring Kakashi fondling Sakura's clothing! I'll start my hunt, and shall we pool our resources? As for Sasuke's whereabouts, I hope this chapter answered part of the question. But there's still much more to be explained. All your support is muchly loved!

**mkitty-chan:** Ack, I was evil, wasn't I? I think it comes out of what I'm currently working on: writing from the perspective of the supposedly "bad guys" of the fic. Be sure to bap me if I get carried away though :P Hope you liked this chapter!

**Kenhime:** Constructive criticism is good! Yeah, there were quite a number of flaws as a result of me skimming through an editing session. It hopefully won't happen again . I totally agree with what you mean by reviews providing you with inspiration while your muse abandons you (mine probably deserted me as soon as I unravelled what would be the outline of my horribly convoluted plotline.)

Lol, but rambling is good! It's what keeps many of us sane instead of bottling the bad stuff up and randomly unleashing it on some unsuspecting bystander . Haha, it's always good to know that my KakaSaku mission is proceeding nicely. And yeah, the Kazekage is a bit of a wuss, ain't he? It heartens me to know that I've made a walking a paradox out of someone. A definite first for me :P I'm going to ignore how you mentioned you were too young to read some of the future stuff (gasp!), especially since a lot of the really rated material won't be coming for a while yet. I hope your hunger from chapter 5 was assuaged a bit by this chapter, or I can only hope that you won't kill me for leaving you with another one¡­ but thanks anyway! Your reviews always leave me either glowing or with soda over my keyboard, (bad, bad, choke)!

**oOoshortayoOo:** Aw, thanks! I hope you like what's ultimately going to come out of this chapter!

**kUnOichi-sAkUrA:** Hey, no worries! I'm determined to finish this even if it kills me Thanks for your review! Huh, sex scenes...? Lol, j/k, ­they probably won't be for awhile, especially with the coming development in Sakura and Kakashi's relationship after Sasuke's re-entrance. But hopefully you're willing to wait, right?

**kookey:** Lol, alrighty, I'll try to make the updates as quick as possible! Definitely continuing with this, and I even have this to prove it! pulls out beaten up, wrinkled piece of paper with plot outline on it Um, yeah. Your support really warms me, and yes, KakaSaku forever!

**Chuwei:** Alright, thanks for the huggable support! Lol, did you ever think for a second that inner Sakura would disappear? I can totally see Genma as a womanizer, 'specially since the guy obviously looks like he's single. And with those looks...something's definitely up with those Leaf Jounins :P Kotetsu and Izumo are two loveable characters who really don't get enough mention in fandom. But everyone seems to like them!

I think that though the Leaf team meets with the Kazekage dressed not in their ANBU uniforms, they're not fooling anyone. Both sides probably know that the talks are a farce and pretense if anything, but they have to be maintained just so that things don't get ugly. I will definitely be taking you up on your offer for Japanese translations! Yay, because yeah, Babelfish kind of scared me. Sakura's confrontation with Baki was remarkably similar to the episode where poor Hayate left us. That episode kind of left a bad taste in my mouth...

­I really enjoyed your ficlet about the unnamed ANBU chick and her relation to Hayate. So all I have to say to you is, will you be writing more Hayate stuff? Please?! But thanks again for the reviews, the support really sniffle, touched me.

**edward-tivrusky-5:** Wow, thanks for the praise! There's going to be a lot more coming, mwahaha, so I hope ya stick around for it!

**hiddendragon88:** Thanks! It's great to know that you enjoy this pairing! It's my personal favourite. Yeah, and Sakura's development was hopefully in-character, since I really believe that she had that potential, only it never really came out in the manga. Hope you liked this latest chapter!

**Girl-chama:** hides Yeah, this chapter was really supposed to be out earlier. Only I nearly freaked out on Saturday afternoon when I booted my comp up and it displayed "corrupted disk drive" on the screen. sigh But here it is, in all its late-coming glory! Not really, but I have to thank you for all the support you provided in your review! This is the stuff that makes me get off my butt and actually write/edit/update. There is definitely a lot more development of the Kakashi/Sakura relationship to come, especially since it is still early, cough. I'm glad you liked the team, I can really see them working well together if they get past any initial stereotypes and alienation. Lol, I hope this latest chapter helped in bringing down your FFic high. We all know how unhealthy those can be... Mucho thanks here!


	7. And So I Woke

**Author's Notes: **

Er, please don't kill me? All I can say for now is that I've unashamedly tipped the angst bucket. Let the fun begin.

**Disclaimer:**

See Chapter 1.

* * *

The outbreak of searing images eventually subsided, as Sakura was left clutching onto the hilt of her sword with an unrelenting death grip. She forced herself with a newly released amount of sheer determination to surface from the agonizing abyss of memories. Reality was much more overwhelming at the moment than any conjured scenes from the past. 

_I can't . . . breathe . . ._

This must be what it felt like to drown.

Only she was slowly suffocating in a pool of soaring emotions too raw for the inadequate vessel of her body. A trembling hand traced lovingly across the cool metal, where a raven-haired young man's reflection was superimposed. Sakura was so entranced by the spell of her emotions, that she didn't even realize when the merciless edge of the blade nicked her finger.

She needed to see him, not just a taunting copy; she wanted to touch the real, breathing embodiment of flesh and blood that was only on the other side of the wall.

_Sasuke . . ._

She stuffed a fist into her mouth, and bit down harshly to keep from crying out. Heaven help her, but she wanted to beat against the detestable barrier that separated them.

Inside, the three men remained entirely oblivious to the immense suffering that was occurring within the shinobi outside.

Kabuto picked up the pair of shades that had been tossed negligently beside him. Dangling the dark spectacles languidly on the edge of his finger, he examined them with half-hearted interest as the Kazekage continued his verbal assault on the recent entrant.

"Why don't you just keep the mask on? It gives me the creeps thinking I'm talking to a non-existent person."

"He's always hated it," Kabuto explained with an easy smile when the addressed failed to respond, "but it's been a necessary measure. Especially now, don't you think?"

Sasuke remained comment-less as he turned his cold gaze onto Kabuto. It made the medic almost wish that the Uchiha had kept his shades on with the way those dark orbs could spear you with their subdued intensity. The lethal edge of his tone only magnified the effect a hundred-fold.

"If it's so important to you, Kabuto, why don't you make me a new one with the Kazekage's help?"

The cruel expression on his face told them exactly what he meant by 'help'. As the Uchiha took a menacing step in the Kazekage's direction, the other man quickly skirted around the room until he was safely behind Kabuto.

"Don't take that attitude with me," he warned, using the medic as a shield of sorts against homicidal shinobi, "Orochimaru-sama gave you explicit orders to protect me!"

"Do you think Orochimaru would be able to save you now?" Sasuke asked in his characteristically uncaring tone of voice. For effect, he drummed his fingers dramatically against the kunai pouch at his left hip.

As the dark-haired shinobi pursued his prey with silent menace, and the Kazekage became more squeamish with his outbursts, Kabuto could only watch in a resigned manner while secretly pondering an issue that was of much more interest.

When the Kazekage suddenly let out a terrified squeal at the prospect of Sasuke reaching him, the medic finally decided that it was time to stop them.

"Enough Sasuke," he ordered, but kept an appeasing smile on since the Uchiha wasn't usually in the habit of obeying him, "I think we should let the Kazekage retire for the evening. After all, he has such a tiring role to play each day."

Sasuke's reply came as icily as the dark glower he sent Kabuto.

"I'm offering him the opportunity for a long rest. If you don't want to join him, get him out of my sight."

The Kazekage let out an indignant huff of protest from his position of relative safety, but Kabuto silenced him with a raised hand. There seemed to be a silent combat of wills that hung in the air that was thick with coiling tension, waiting to lash out viciously at the earliest signs of weakness. Kabuto matched Sasuke's expressionless mask, before finally choosing to negate the situation.

"I will reprimand him," the medic-nin stated simply, and all parties were aware of whom he spoke of.

Sasuke took a moment to come to a satisfactory conclusion, the slight narrowing of his eyes the only indication of what thoughts he chose to pursue. An eventual curt nod was the only sign of his conclusion.

"Good,"

Before either Kabuto or the Kazekage could stop him, Sasuke had bolted, leaving via the very window that had been his point of entrance. The only indication that he had ever been in the room was the slight fluttering of the Kazekage's long robes that eventually settled as the swift breeze the Uchiha had created as he glided past him subsided.

"I really hate him,"

Kabuto looked over at the other man, and didn't even bother to hide his disdain this time. Fortunately, the Kazekage remained entirely unawares of the condescending look the other shot him, a look that sealed his fate to forever remain a pawn in the games played by others.

* * *

"**_Sasuke_**!" 

The cry was like an un-tuned note that rang dissonantly across the open night.

Of course, it would be asking too much if he expected Sakura to have left the premises after her near-fatal plunge. But then again, maybe that was why he had made such a show of revealing himself to her; their encounter was bound to happen, and it may as well be taken care of now.

He turned with almost reluctant grace, a subtle shift of the body that enabled him to directly face the figure that was approaching on unsteady legs. Finally, the young woman stopped her trepid advance, and with shaky fingers, lifted the ANBU mask that had been hiding her vulnerability.

_Not the mask . . ._

Twin trails of sparkling moisture were illuminated on her lovely face. Her wide jade eyes took in his presence with something akin to wonder and melancholy triumph.

The occasionally errant breeze swept carelessly over the rooftop, where the two individuals now stood facing one another. Mere paces separated them, but somehow, the distance seemed so much greater, as though they were on opposite sides of an imaginary chasm of immeasurable depth that stretched in-between.

She stared at him, the figure of the one she had pined after for so long. If she had thought him gorgeous as a child, the young man standing stoically before her now was absolutely breathtaking with his understated, aristocratic good looks. Sasuke had never been a particularly awkward child, but time had smoothed out any last imperfections of adolescence and shaped them into the hard, perfect lines of his current body. The elegant patrician contours of his face remained set in their cold expression, while hard jet black eyes regarded her engagingly.

"Sasuke," Sakura murmured dreamily, "why…?"

"Why what?"

His question imparted nothing but impatience and maybe even slight irritation on his part.

"Why are you here, why are you in league with Kabuto and the Kazekage?"

Releasing a much-needed breath, the disorientated young woman then lowered her voice to almost a whisper.

"But most off all . . . why haven't you returned to Konoha?"

"There is nothing left for me there," Sasuke answered frigidly, as he seemed unaware of how the words carved another wound in Sakura's heart.

He didn't understand. He never did. How could someone as emotionally reserved as Sasuke possibly understand the yearning and devotion of a young woman who had endured the daily torment of five years to be reunited with her first love? The realization that her former teammate really hadn't changed much after all this time was bittersweet indeed.

"My feelings haven't changed," she whispered. As she lowered her head to stare fixedly at the dark symmetrical pattern of roof tiles, Sakura continued on more to herself with a sad little smile.

"Maybe a part of me always secretly knew that the tears would never stop if I chose this path, but that never affected my decision."

Her words didn't fall on deaf ears, but the stony silence that Sasuke kept strict vigil over told otherwise.

"Sasuke . . .? Let's go now, I'm sure Kakashi-sensei will be very pleased to see you."

She wiped her eyes using the base of her palm, and made a brave reach for his hand.

Without warning, Sasuke retreated back several meters, his movements so swift that he seemed to drift away without exertion. The act effectively put significant distance between them once again, leaving the Uchiha to stare back at Sakura's confused, hurt expression.

"I told you last time that we would start different paths. I can't and won't retrace my steps."

"I'm not asking you to retrace anything," Sakura cried out piteously, "I don't care what you've done since you left our village. I just want—"

Here, she choked abruptly on the swell of emotion that overcame her.

"—I only want you to come back with us, let's leave this miserable place that's out in the middle of nowhere . . . it's not our home."

His fierce glare of disapproval stopped her short. Sakura could feel herself shrinking helplessly under the freezing fire of his gaze, and the fact that he could now potentially tower over her with his considerable height didn't help matters. The cold attitude that he kept constant towards her gave Sakura the numbing sensation of being plunged headfirst into an ice bath.

_Sasuke, I've waited and fought for five years just to see you again. Won't your eyes grant me even the smallest measure of warmth?_

The silent plea from the kunoichi went unheeded, and instead if it was at all possible, Sasuke's voice dropped several degrees lower when he next spoke.

"You have no idea what's happened. What I've done since then, you couldn't begin to imagine."

He looked Sakura full in the face, all the while keeping his own as emotionless as though carved from granite.

"Our paths are too far apart, they head in different directions. I wouldn't involve myself any further in the Sand situation if I were you."

With that said, he presented her with the hard lines of his back once more, signalling the end of their unfulfilling reunion.

Though he made to leave, Sasuke fully expected to be stopped with more of Sakura's wasted tears and pleas. Consequently, he was honestly shocked and more than usually alarmed when there were no teary words that came. Instead, he was greeted with the recognizable metallic clang of a sword being unsheathed.

With none of the surprise registering in his calm features, Sasuke turned around to see Sakura standing resolutely in a clearly uncertain stance, her long sword brandished in an offensive position that required the firm grip of both hands. Her eyes were still watery with intermingled old and fresh tears, but there was something harder underneath the beautiful emerald hue. Something that brought back unwanted memories, a look that he would never in a million years have expected to be directed at him.

"I'll stop you. I won't you let you go back to them."

The eerily quiet tone of her declaration was slightly diminished by the lightest flicker of uncertainty that betrayed her true feelings. Her eyes told him another story altogether.

_You're leaving me again . . . why? Please don't . . ._

Sakura swallowed the painful lump that had risen in her throat with bitter recrimination, and focused on pointing the sharp end of her weapon at Sasuke.

_Must it really come to this?_

Her thoughts were broken by a sudden dull pain that shot up her right arm, causing her sword to fall at her feet with an echoing clatter, along with the small object that had impacted the central nerve of her wrist. She stared down in shock at the small rock that was no bigger than a marble in dimension.

_What, a pebble . . .?_

Dumbfounded, she raised disbelieving eyes to the turned figure of Sasuke. He had been able to disarm her with little more than a toss of the hand.

"You couldn't stop me back then either,"

That sentence carried more warmth and underlying affection than anything he had said to her thus far. She imagined that the barest of smiles must have shaped those impassive lips for one brief second in eternity.

She didn't watch as he left again without turning back. She felt as though the dark waters of defeat had opened and swallowed her whole. It seemed that as much as she had tried to close the gap between their abilities, he was now as unreachable as ever. He was right: she possessed nothing that could stop him or change his mind.

Sakura looked down at the white and crimson mask by her feet that she had been so proud of before, because she saw it as a symbol of her ultimate accomplishment. Now, it was just another glaring reminder of her greatest failure.

* * *

If there was one thing that had become apparent to Kakashi after risking his life in the name of duty for more times than could be healthy, it was that there was no such thing as an average lifespan for shinobi. Every time that you decided to pledge yourself to undertake a mission, there was no guarantee that you would return to see the sombre visages aligning the Hokage memorial. There were the lucky ones, who seemed able to evade death and live to a ripe old age. But there were also the young ones, fresh out of the Academy, who went to their deaths with wide, confused eyes, taken from this world before they had even grasped the full significance of being a shonobi. 

That had not happened to him yet, and though he was reluctant to admit it, there was a sliver of hope in Kakashi's inner psyche that prayed he wouldn't be taken as unawares as some of the casualties he had seen. But if the powers that be had already penned his life's script to end thusly, there really wasn't much he could do about it, was there?

That was perhaps the only pure sense of justice that existed in this world: everyone had an equal opportunity of dying at any given moment.

However, Kakashi had made at least some inkling of effort to make things easier for his squad should the unmentionable happen to him. There was a short, hastily written note tucked under the flap of his backpack that had been left behind. Should one of his team members suddenly decide to check and see what gear he had taken off with, they would find the concise details of his whereabouts.

Secretly, he hoped that Sakura would be the first one to inquire about his extended absence, and find the note. She would rally the others to search for him, only they would naturally be too late. She would probably weep silent tears at the simple funeral in his honour. Maybe she'd even take it upon herself to visit the memorial every now and then, and trace the characters of his name that had been carved proudly into the smooth surface. She may even come to regret that she hadn't opened up to him more—

_My God, Kakashi, what the hell is with all the morbid melodramatics!_

His imagination was overenthusiastically wandering off in a direction that he honestly didn't want to venture down. Blaming it all on the blandness of his surroundings, Kakashi resolved to concentrate all his attention to his destination.

_This should be it, but this place is literally 'deserted'._

He winced at the sheer awfulness of the pun, and his mind immediately conjured the image of how Sakura would have rolled her eyes in a silent groan if she'd heart it.

Shaking himself of the picture, the Copy Ninja gave the infinite ochre horizon another scan over. Just more flat terrain that made up the abysmally gigantic the sandbox they were playing in. Either the messenger boy that afternoon had been a lunatic, or he'd been purposely duped.

_Only for what purpose?_

This was hardly the location for a potential ambush, unless the adversaries could literally burrow themselves into the sand. However sand was a much harder medium than earth to manipulate using ninjutsu, since one had to meld their chakra to envelop every individual grain.

But that was definitely not to say that it couldn't be done.

As he continued forward to his seemingly unidentifiable destination, Kakashi debated whether to abandon the pursuit. While he slowly tapered off the rapid succession of his steps into more of a brisk jog, the Jounin frowned at the odd sensation of his footfalls. The ground, it suddenly felt much different from before, softer, making his steps heavier and more effort consuming.

Kakashi looked down in alarm to see that the sand he was treading on seemed to be flowing, as some of the fluid matter rippled across his sandaled feet. Keeping himself composed, Kakashi extracted himself from the enveloping sand and backed away until he once again felt he had a firm footing against solid ground.

He studied the yellow surface again, and to his growing amazement, the large sectioned area before him was visibly different from the surrounding area. The sand literally seemed to be _alive_, as much as he hated to use that particular description. It flowed, moving with a mysterious vitality that created ebbing waves that rippled across the fluid surface.

Kakashi could almost taste traces of the ninjutsu that was being used in the air. The area was heavily saturated with the collected presence of concentrated power. The Copy Ninja cautiously lifted his forehead protector from his concealed Sharingan, and watched in almost fascinated horror as the area of living sand expanded, stretching out at an alarming rate that would reach him in a matter of seconds. The only recourse he could think of was to use an earth-sealing jutsu he usually relied on to counter shifting and opening grounds.

Giving no other thought as to how much of a long shot his plan could potentially be, Kakashi quickly whipped out a kunai and allowed another cut to join his ever-growing collection.

"That's two in two days," he remarked dryly, wondering if self-induced blood loss had ever been a reason for casualties among the Leaf-nin.

The trickle of crimson that pooled onto his kunai was quickly converted into a series of characters that Kakashi carved into the ground. With a final cry, he performed the required seals, and bringing his right hand to clutch his left wrist, slammed his open plam into the ground. The resulting turbulence was a colossal wave that rippled forth, originating from his epicentre that spread out over the surrounding area of several hundred meters.

When the billowing torrents of sand finally settled, Kakashi lifted his gaze from its focal point on the ground and glanced around. It appeared as though his jutsu had stopped the moving sands. Everything looked normal enough.

As though to mock him for speaking too soon, the sand in front of him once again shifted, though this time they seeped away as though drawn towards a giant funnel that drained away the golden matter. Kakashi watched in rapt fascination as the sand formed a descending staircase that tunnelled deep into the ground. The invitation was clear, though the unnecessary dramatics caused Kakashi to seriously wonder at the opposing party's integrity at this point.

_Beneath the courageous there is nothing_, he sighed to himself, before venturing down the steps that ventured deeper down than he'd first expected. At length, his steps brought him into a moderately sized chamber, dimly illuminated by a single paper lantern that hung from the low ceiling.

Sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor was a young man, whose pallid features were harshly discernible under the weak lighting. His auburn hair was cropped close to the scalp in a way that left the strands in a disorderly mess that that seemed at once both chaotic yet orderly in a primitive way. With his eyes closed, the only telling signs that the young man was currently concentrating his focus were the thin lines at the corners of his neutral mouth.

Kakashi studied him carefully, from his starkly pale face to the simple black outfit he donned, all the while remaining primed on the balls of his feet.

_He breathes like the dead._

There were no detectable motions made by the young man, not even the faintest whisper of breath that could be picked up by a shinobi of Kakashi's calibre. The Copy Ninja's eyes fell to the other's hands that rested laxly on his legs in what looked suspiciously like a tiger seal. All the energy that filtered through the chakra-dense air seemed to be originating from this young man, who appeared in the midst of a deep sleep without the associated breathing patterns.

Kakashi was sorely tempted to clear his throat in irritation, but chose prudence over such brashness. Instead, he brought his own hands together in a tight seal, and channelled his chakra with all the swiftness required for chidori. As expected, the crackling blue currents of chakra disrupted the other's uniform flow of chakra. Slowly, the young man's eyes opened, thus enabling twin orbs of dark emerald to observe Kakashi with interest.

"I remember you, you are the Leaf's Copy Ninja?"

The words came out calmly from a voice hoarse from disuse.

Kakashi nodded, as he tried to place why the haunted look in the young man's eyes struck a familiar chord with him. Sleepless, restless eyes . . .

Without warning, the ground under Kakashi's feet trembled violently, causing the shinobi to momentarily lose his footing as he sank heavily to one knee. Since the entire chamber was constructed of sand, the walls trembled as the area shook, causing piles of sand to rain down on the two men when the ceiling cracked under pressure.

"Gaara!"

The cry caused the young man to grit his teeth, as he tried to temper the effects of his jutsu until the chamber reformed slightly. Kakashi had halted at the first sound of another voice, and turned now to see someone else at the bottom of the stairs he had used. The newcomer was similarly dressed in black; only his outfit consisted of a headpiece that revealed only his noticeably painted face.

"Kakashi, please you must help him!"

Undeterred by the bewildered look Kakashi shot him, the other hastened to explain.

"The seal prevents him from controlling his own chakra."

Kakashi tried to place the situation by brushing away any last wisps of confusion and focus on Gaara, who appeared in agony as he fought to control the chakra that threatened to tear apart the chamber. He was at a loss for once, having no idea why type of seal was placed on the young man since he could see no signs of it. It wasn't until Gaara let out a throat-searing scream, that Kakashi saw the symbol ablaze on the young man forehead. There, where the character for 'love' had previously been etched in bold, crimson letters, was the character for someone that Kakashi immediately recognized.

_Snake . . ._

* * *

It was nearing midnight when the dark-haired young man finally returned to the spartan furnishings of his quarters. With a cautious glance over his shoulder, Sasuke slipped into the darkened environment using his customarily understated grace. It wasn't until after he had closed the door and bolted it, that he relaxed into a full-body sigh that was immersed with weary futility. 

Five years . . . he had come to believe that he had rid himself of all emotional attachment. The only one potent enough to stir him would be hate, a hate so scarring in its intensity that it had consumed his mind and burned away all other trace of his humanity. But tonight— a flowing tendril of coral hair, a pair of beseeching eyes— had proved that he could still feel.

The undesired warmth that he had stubbornly been trying to lock away since he first caught sight of the Leaf delegation was returning with a vengeance. With an unsettled heart, Sasuke reached to flick on the light switch for the living quarters.

"Even after all these years, you still enjoy playing the role of her rescuer."

His heart leaping in his chest, Sasuke whirled around to glare at the speaker.

"I have killed others for much less, Kabuto."

The medic chuckled good-humouredly as he pushed away from the wall he had been leaning against.

"You shouldn't be leaving this around so carelessly," he commented offhandedly, before tossing the bundle he had been holding behind his back.

Unflinching, Sasuke caught the cloth package, and wordlessly unwrapped it to reveal the faux skin mask he had left behind.

"You knew she was there," he whispered harshly with narrowed eyes.

Kabuto's smile widened until he was laughing outright in a way that irked the other shinobi to no end.

"I'd have to be deaf to not hear the commotion you two made out there. Though it would have been greatly entertaining to see her reaction to your sudden unmasking . . ."

Exerting formidable control over the rage within him, Sasuke tucked the mask inside his vest, and stood his ground in front of the other man. Though they well almost equally matched in terms of skill, he understood that it would take more than physical dexterity to kill Kabuto. And as much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke wasn't entirely certain that he had what it would take yet.

"Were you hoping for a performance of some sort?"

The Uchiha's icy tone conveyed none of the blanket camaraderie the words should have implied.

"No," Kabuto sighed with a mock gesture of great regret, "but if you were going to put one on, then I would have sat back and enjoyed myself."

When Sasuke remained silent, the medic smiled from behind his gloved hand and eyed the other young man shrewdly.

"Or is everything a performance when it comes to her…?"

_Smash!_

Kabuto raised a perfect slate eyebrow as he wordlessly took in the scene of the overturned desk lamp, whose broken fragments lay scattered across the floor.

"_Don't pull that shit around me_," Sasuke warned venomously, his back tensing to reveal his agitation though his face was still turned, "you know they all mean nothing to me now."

"Of course," Kabuto shrugged, "which is why you're willing to help Orochimaru-sama and myself." He blinked when Sasuke chuckled harshly in response.

"You always sound so sure of yourself, that respectful grovel of yours must almost be second-nature by now. But one day, he'll figure out you're not the tail-wagging bastard you pretend to be. And we'll all be dead by his hand."

"Perhaps," Kabuto commented easily, not at all intimidated by the grim prospects brought forth by the other, "but I don't foresee that happening for quite a while yet. Besides, he will kill you first and hesitate with me. You shouldn't forget that I've saved his life before. Can you claim such for yourself?"

At Sasuke's scoff, Kabuto strolled over until they were a mere step apart. His next words were delivered in a smooth, affable tone that would have convinced any outsider the two were the closest of comrades.

"Who do you think is responsible for letting you keep your own body up until now? Face it Sasuke, we're two sides of the same coin and our paths intertwine regardless of whether you choose to curse the fates. Which is why we're both better off cooperating in the long run."

Though unspoken, the underlying threat was there, as subtle as anything done in typical Kabuto-style.

Sasuke could only thank whatever deities still looked over his accursed life that he was facing a wall and not Kabuto. As much as he fought to hide the shame of it, the young Uchiha had a sinking suspicion that some of the utter helplessness he was experiencing must have escaped through the windows of his eyes. He knew he was being drawn deeper and deeper into an intricate web spun by others who played on his ambitions and vulnerabilities, yet like all others who lived for nought but a single purpose, he was powerless to extract himself from the ominous chain of events already set in motion.

He had already learned that the trick to salvaging one's sanity in such a situation was to never, ever look back. That included cutting ties with everyone from his past. After his brief encounter with Sakura, he realized that he had not done as thorough of a job as he'd originally thought. Just as he was agonizing over how he would go about foregoing interaction with the Leaf delegates now that his cover was blown, Kabuto once again answered the question for him.

"You won't have to worry about the consequences of your identity being revealed."

"They will try to bring me back to the Hidden Leaf,"

"I think they will have more pressing concerns . . . as will you and I. Neither of them will leave the Wind Country alive."

At the questioning look that Sasuke sent him, Kabuto widened his eyes with feigned surprise. His next words froze Sasuke's blood in his veins.

"Oh, didn't I let you read the missive Orochimaru-sama sent some days ago? He is will be arriving shortly to personally oversee the situation here. It would seem that our progress is a tad slow for his tastes. If I were you, I'd stop concerning myself with outcomes that you cannot possibly change, and concentrate on preparing for your mission in the Grass Country. We ceased to be shinobi of Konoha a long time ago, Sasuke. Never forget that."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

This chapter, along with others, have actually been sitting on my comp for a while, and wow, I really can't believe that I ended the last chapter at such a god-awful place. Life interfered, and what do you know? Kishimoto decides to throw in all these plot advancements. Nothing that will affect the plot of my story, but I was fascinated by Kakashi's history and other recent plot developments, so there will be some slight changes I'll have to make. I'll be uploading a slightly altered version of chapter 5 along with the review responses for this chapter, because whoa…it is long.

Oodles of thanks goes to MaidenoftheMoon for giving me the first fanart for this story. You're awesome! Especially, since you sent this like a year ago…(blush!)

It's a scene from way earlier in the story. You can check it out at

http: maidenchan. deviantart. com/

(minus spaces of course)

Thanks so much for the continued support, even when it seems like I've dropped off into an entirely different alternate universe!


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